New Delhi: The much-awaited Barapullah phase-III elevated road across Yamuna will open for the public on Sept 29, making travel from many areas of east to south Delhi convenient and quicker. Union home minister Amit Shah will open the 3.5km corridor built for Rs 1,635 crore.“Delhi waited nearly a decade. On Sept 29, that wait comes to an end… A project that remained stuck for years has been completed in just one and a half years, giving a strong push to Delhi’s infrastructure and connectivity,” Public Works Department minister Parvesh Verma posted on X. “Under the leadership of chief minister Rekha Gupta, long-pending projects are now being taken forward with a clear focus on timely completion and delivery,” he added.Verma Saturday inspected the project and interacted with officials who said the bridge was ready for inauguration. The four-lane corridor, the 10th road overbridge across Yamuna in Delhi, will provide a direct, signal-free link between east and south Delhi. By bypassing major bottlenecks and signalised intersections, it will significantly cut travel times for commuters moving between areas like Mayur Vihar, Patparganj and Trilokpuri in the east and hubs such as Sarai Kale Khan, Jangpura and AIIMS.An official said a mega event was being planned for the launch, for which lakhs of Delhiites had been waiting since 2017.Barapullah III has been designed with non-motorists in mind too. Unlike most Delhi bridges, it has dedicated cycle tracks and footpaths/walkways, giving it a more complete mobility design. The bridge includes nine loops to distribute traffic efficiently instead of dumping all vehicles at one or two choke points.Approved in 2014 with a budget of Rs 1,261 crore and originally scheduled for completion in 2017, the project has faced prolonged delays due to land acquisition disputes, environmental clearances and construction challenges on the Yamuna floodplain. The on-paper cost overrun is Rs 375 crore, though the real bill — paid every day in traffic, fuel, pollution, stress and lost time — is several times more, said sources.
