The narrow bridge over the Shahdara drain is a nightmare for commuters. And we are not exaggerating.
The narrow bridge over Shahdara drain that's causing horrible traffic snarls
What’s one of the biggest problems that residents of East End Apartments in Mayur Vihar Phase I Extension face? Commuting on the stretch connecting Noida's sectors 14-15 and New Ashok Nagar Metro station.
JP Verma, general secretary of East End Apartments, says, “Sometimes, the entire road gets choked. Continuous honking is another problem on this stretch.”
And what’s causing this endless nightmare?
The narrow bridge over the Shahdara drain, half of which comes under the UP government, is one of the major reasons, claim residents. And of course, illegal encroachment on both sides has added to the mess.
The bridge, leading straight to Mayur Vihar Extension from Noida, is connected to four roads in different directions.
When coming from Noida, there are two turns on the right side of the bridge — one connecting the New Ashok Nagar Metro station to the residential area of New Ashok Nagar, and the other one from New Ashok Nagar to Vasundhara Enclave and Dharamshila Hospital.
And on the left side, two roads parallel to the canal also connect to the bridge.
Traffic converges on the narrow bridge over Shahdara drain, leading to inevitable jams
Residents have repeatedly complained to both the Delhi traffic department and the East Delhi Municipal Corporation, but no steps have been taken.
K Pashupathy, a senior member of the managing committee of East End Apartments, said, “We have raised this issue time and again. But we have received only empty promises. Even during the municipal elections, our main demand was a new bridge. Either make this bridge wider or construct another one — that’s the only solution to get rid of the traffic snarls here.”
Too many cuts on the road under the Metro lane connecting Mayur Vihar and Noida are also causing traffic jams in the area.
The length of the lane is hardly a kilometre but there are eight breaks in the road divider! Due to lack of proper traffic management here, commuters — especially two-wheelers — take a U-turn from wherever they want.
When City Spidey spoke to a traffic cop deployed at the bridge, he said, “Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is responsible for the chaos. There are just too many cuts.”
When asked why traffic personnel are hardly seen managing the rush in the area, he responds, “We do as directed. We only follow orders — there’s nothing we can change.”
City Spidey also spoke to Pradeep Gupta, chief engineer of PWD, in-charge of the Mayur Vihar area. He said, “The department has already started work on the widening of the road. We have identified the site for a new bridge. It may take some more time, as the proposal to construct a new bridge needs the consent of both Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.”
The bridge is hardly a kilometre long, but can delay commuters for hours. Google Maps shows traffic on this bridge (marked in red) even now, around 6 pm
