New Delhi, Oct. 5 -- The newly opened Barapullah Phase-III corridor witnessed heavy congestion on Monday morning, with commuters reporting prolonged delays on the Mayur Vihar-AIIMS route and traffic police identifying a lane-merging point on the older Barapullah flyover as the key trouble spot.

The congestion was particularly visible around Mayur Vihar Phase-I Metro station and the entry points to the Phase-III elevated corridor. Some commuters reported being stuck in slow-moving traffic for extended periods during the morning rush, raising concerns over whether the new link is delivering the intended improvement in connectivity during peak hours. Delhi Traffic Police said the problem is primarily linked to the road geometry at the Old Barapullah Flyover. According to the department, traffic coming from multiple approaches is eventually being funnelled into the three-lane older flyover.

The new Phase-III elevated section on the Mayur Vihar side has roughly three lanes. The loops leading towards Sarai Kale Khan and the DND side also have around three lanes each, while the existing Barapullah flyover has three lanes. Traffic police said the combined movement from approximately eight to nine lanes converges at one point before entering the three-lane stretch, creating a significant capacity mismatch.

"Traffic of approximately 8-9 lanes is converging into 3 lanes at a single point on Old Barapullah flyover," the traffic police said.

Personnel have been deployed at the merging locations to regulate the flow and prevent further build-up. Traffic from Phase-III is also being directed towards NH-24 and the DND side as part of efforts to distribute vehicle movement.

The department also flagged a problem with navigation data, saying Google Maps was continuing to display the route as largely free-flowing despite the actual congestion on the ground.

The traffic situation prompted motorists to share their experiences online. One commuter reported remaining in bumper-to-bumper traffic for around half an hour while covering only about two kilometres. Another described the route as problematic during the morning peak and advised motorists to avoid it at that time.

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