NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday inaugurated Phase III of the Barapullah elevated corridor in Delhi, along with three other road infrastructure projects with a combined value of Rs. 19.41 bn. The projects were inaugurated at a function attended by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, members of her cabinet and Union Minister of State for Road Transport Harsh Malhotra.

The third phase of the corridor was built at a cost of Rs. 16.35 bn after expenses increased during the project’s prolonged construction period. The nearly 10.9-km elevated road connects Mayur Vihar Phase I through Sarai Kale Khan to south Delhi and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences area.

The corridor is designed to provide signal-free connectivity between east and south Delhi and is likely to reduce travel time by 15 to 20 minutes. All three phases of the project were originally scheduled for completion in 2017, but multiple delays pushed back the work and increased the cost.

Shah also inaugurated the Mukarba Chowk underpass and laid the foundation stones for the Modi Mill-Savitri Cinema flyover and the Loni underpass. The Mukarba Chowk facility, built to ease traffic on the Outer Ring Road, includes two vehicular underpasses and one pedestrian underpass.

The underpass is expected to benefit about 15,800 vehicles a day by allowing traffic from Badli and Rohini towards Azadpur and Jahangirpuri to bypass the Mukarba Chowk interchange. A separate facility for pedestrians and non-motorised traffic near Haiderpur Badli Mor Metro Station is intended to improve safety. The Modi Mill flyover extension will support signal-free movement towards Kalkaji and the Indian Institute of Technology, while improving links between Nehru Place, Kalkaji and Greater Kailash.