New Delhi, Oct. 7 -- The Delhi government is working on a dedicated U-turn on Ring Road near the Gurudwara to ease congestion around Barapullah Phase-III, while Google Maps is expected to update its route mapping for the newly opened corridor within 15 days, PWD Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh said on Wednesday.

The proposed U-turn, or cut, is aimed at providing residents of Siddharth Extension direct access to the Old Barapulla approach road towards Lajpat Nagar, INA and AIIMS, without forcing them to take longer diversions or make unsafe movements.

The PWD minister said the department was examining immediate traffic-management measures after congestion was reported on the newly operationalised Barapullah Phase-III. He said discussions had been held with the Delhi Traffic Police on both short- and long-term solutions.

"We recently held a meeting and discussions were on short-term and long-term solutions that have been suggested by traffic police; we will work on that," Verma said.

The department is also in touch with Google Maps to ensure that the new traffic patterns and road connectivity are reflected on the navigation platform.

"Google Maps algorithm takes around 15 days to update the traffic situation of a road, so that will happen soon; we are in touch with them," Verma said.

The minister said the congestion was partly linked to the way traffic from different directions merges at key points of the corridor. PWD is examining lane channelisation, better utilisation of available road space and smoother movement between Sarai Kale Khan, Ring Road and ITO.

The proposed U-turn is expected to separate local traffic from the larger flow of vehicles using the Barapullah corridor and improve access for residents of Siddharth Extension.

The minister also blamed the previous Aam Aadmi Party government for the project's planning and design, saying its technical specifications had been finalised during the earlier regime.

"All tender specifications, technical feasibility were done by the AAP government. How can this be our design fault?" he said.

The Barapullah Phase-III project, constructed at a cost of around Rs 1,635 crore, connects Mayur Vihar Phase-I on Noida Link Road with Sarai Kale Khan on Ring Road. The project was approved in 2014 and construction began in April 2015, with an original completion target of 2017, but it faced prolonged delays.

The PWD is also planning to appoint a traffic and structural design consultant to assess the corridor and suggest further short- and long-term interventions.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.