Story perspectives

Delhi opens Barapullah Phase III, traffic jams cripple south route

By Drooid · Oct 3, 2026, 4:03 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Delhi Opens Flyover

Delhi opened the Barapullah Phase-III flyover, triggering citywide traffic jams in south Delhi.
By Thursday evening, the 8-km stretch between Safdarjung Hospital and Sarai Kale Khan required over an hour.
A Delhi Traffic Police drone survey found two three-lane roads merging into a single three-lane corridor.
Police commissioner Dinesh Kumar Gupta said the merges violate AASHTO guidelines that require five lanes after merging.

Summary

Police Regulate Traffic

Four ambulances were stuck in traffic on the new flyover, hindering emergency response.
The corridor’s opening drew 5–6 lakh vehicles, overwhelming exit-point traffic.
Google Maps routed commuters onto the corridor without live traffic data, adding to overload.
Traffic police deployed extra personnel and barricades at merging points to manually regulate flow.

History

Historical Context

The Delhi–Gurgaon Expressway, a 28-km eight-lane toll road linking Delhi and Gurgaon, opened on 23 January 2008 as part of the Golden Quadrilateral under the National Highway Development Project. Managed by the National Highways Authority of India, it now carries over 180,000 passenger-car units daily, but limited over-bridges and toll plazas have repeatedly caused severe bottlenecks, prompting later traffic-management upgrades.

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Delhi Opens Flyover

Delhi opened the Barapullah Phase-III flyover, triggering citywide traffic jams in south Delhi.
By Thursday evening, the 8-km stretch between Safdarjung Hospital and Sarai Kale Khan required over an hour.
A Delhi Traffic Police drone survey found two three-lane roads merging into a single three-lane corridor.
Police commissioner Dinesh Kumar Gupta said the merges violate AASHTO guidelines that require five lanes after merging.

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