Traffic is impacted in South Delhi as one of the important flyovers closed - here is why

Delhi Traffic Police has closed the IGI Airport-to-Vasant Vihar carriageway of the Old RTR flyover until October 25. To help commuters navigate the diversion, the traffic police has updated Google Maps to show the service road as the alternative route and the flyover as closed.

The Delhi Traffic Police has shut the Old Rao Tula Ram (RTR) flyover's carriageway connecting the IGI Airport side to Vasant Vihar until October 25 after identifying cracks at two points on the stretch, officials said on Wednesday.

With the route blocked, motorists travelling towards Vasant Vihar are being directed to use the adjoining service road. The diversion has led to slow-moving traffic and long queues near the flyover.

The traffic police informed the Public Works Department (PWD) about the damage and requested repairs to avert any potential accidents. Repair work is underway at both locations, with officials expecting the carriageway to be ready by the morning of October 26.

A traffic police official said the extent of the damage made it necessary to close the entire carriageway, as allowing vehicles to use even a portion of it was not considered safe.

To help commuters navigate the diversion, the traffic police has updated Google Maps to show the service road as the alternative route and the flyover as closed. Traffic personnel have also been deployed in the area to manage vehicle movement. The department has shared details of the closure and diversion through its social media channels.

The PWD is carrying out repairs on the two damaged sections in coordination with the Delhi Traffic Police.

“Deterioration of concrete, visible cracking, and exposure of reinforcement were observed in the gap slab section of the old RTR Flyover. Given the structural distress, traffic was temporarily suspended, and PWD initiated the necessary repair and rehabilitation works,” PTI quoted a PWD official as saying.

The repair works are expected to be completed by tomorrow morning. Traffic will be restored after allowing a curing period of 48 hours to ensure adequate strength development of the repaired concrete," the official added.

Gurugram traffic police announces alternative routes to Delhi

The Gurugram Traffic Police has diverted vehicles travelling from Jaipur towards Delhi on the RTR Flyover towards Dhaula Kuan, directing commuters heading to Vasant Vihar to take alternative routes.

According to the advisory, motorists can reach Delhi via NH-48 and the KMP Expressway; the Narsinghpur Cloverleaf, Dwarka Expressway and UER-II; or the Narsinghpur Cloverleaf, Southern Peripheral Road (SPR), Ghatta T-Point, Gwal Pahari and Mandi Border.

Other suggested routes include IFFCO Chowk–MG Road–Aya Nagar Border/Bandhwari Toll, Rajiv Chowk–Sohna–Ballabhgarh, and UER-II from beyond the Rajokri Flyover. Commuters from Udyog Vihar have also been advised to use UER-II to reach Delhi.

The traffic police has clarified that only passenger vehicles travelling to the airport should take the NH-48 route towards Mahipalpur. Other motorists heading to Mahipalpur have been asked to use the suggested alternative routes.

"Commuters are requested to follow the designated alternative routes and comply with the instructions issued by traffic police personnel. To avoid inconvenience, plan your journey in advance and allow sufficient time for travel," the Gurugram Traffic Police said.

About the Author

Garvit Bhirani is a journalist based in Gurugram. He is a Deputy Chief Content Producer at LiveMint, where he covers national and international news stories, focusing on accuracy and compelling storytelling for readers. <br><br> With a total of six years of experience in journalism, he has previously worked with Vaco Binary Semantics for Google, taking on the role of news curation lead, and reported from the field on health, education, and agriculture stories for 101reporters and News9. He has also served as a content editor for entertainment and news media organisations. <br><br> Garvit holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism and mass communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and Gurugram University, respectively. During college days, he joined India’s only non-profit student journalism network, where he anchored daily news updates and produced his own weekly show called ‘Data Fix’. <br><br> He was selected for the YES Foundation Media for Social Change Fellowship in Delhi, the Talking Data to the Fourth Pillar residential workshop, and the VOICE Fellowship in Pune. <br><br> He holds certificates in COVID-19-verification reporting, data journalism, food & agriculture, tech policy, media literacy and countering misinformation, and tackling election disinformation courses from Thomson Foundation, IndiaSpend, The Dialogue, US Mission in India, and AFP. <br><br> He can be reached on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/garvit-bhirani">LinkedIn</a> or on <a href="https://x.com/GarvitBhirani">@garvitbhirani</a> on X