Funnel effect of traffic being created at RTR: RITES,PWD to HC

The Delhi High Court was today told that the heavy traffic congestion at Rao Tula Ram Marg intersection on the Outer Ring Road is due to a "funnel effect being created" as traffic from various National Capital Region areas, including Gurgaon, pass through there.
The submission was made before a bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Siddharth Mridul by an expert from Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) who gave a powerpoint presentation of the current traffic situation, the solution to easing the congestion as well as the approach adopted to arrive at the solution.
The powerpoint presentation was made in compliance with the court's direction on October 10.

The court was hearing a plea by resident welfare associations of Vasant Vihar challenging the Public Works Department (PWD) decision to build a three-lane flyover parallel to the one existing at Rao Tula Ram (RTR) Marg.
The expert from RITES as well as the PWD informed the court that they had considered usage of various nearby roads or alternative routes to ease the traffic at the RTR junction, but none of them was feasible.
Thus, they arrived at the solution of building the three- lane flyover extending from Munirka to Signals Enclave here, they said.

On the other hand, advocate Rajeshwar Rao, appearing for the resident welfare associations of Vasant Vihar, questioned whether any right of way would be left underneath the newly- built flyover.

He also questioned whether PWD has the requisite area of land available to build the new flyover and sought that the details be put in an affidavit.
He said that Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning and Engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC) was also of the view that the existing three-lane flyover at RTR can be demolished and a six-lane one can be built there.
During the presentation, which will continue tomorrow, RITES and PWD also informed the court that in peak hours around 2000 vehicles come from National Highway (NH) 8 towards RTR and more than 3200 flow the other way.