New Delhi: Barapullah Phase III missed yet another promised opening date last month – its ninth deadline in nine years — but the elevated corridor and Yamuna bridge, delayed nearly a decade, is now entering what could be its final round of checks before being thrown open to traffic.Public Works Department (PWD) has ordered load testing of several sections of the bridge, which is likely to be done using heavy trucks carrying a combined load of more than 250 tonnes. The tests, expected to begin next week, will be conducted across selected stretches between columns from among the elevated road’s nearly 150 spans.Earlier, the bridge’s opening was scheduled for June 30, the eighth deadline that was missed due to multiple supply disruption issues, such as bitumen shortage due to the ongoing West Asia crisis. While officials did not officially announce the next deadline, they were asked to complete all pending works by July 20.Officials said PWD wrote to chief minister Rekha Gupta seeking a date for its formal inauguration in Aug. The CM’s office has not yet officially announced any inauguration date, but sources said the inauguration may take place sometime this month.Barapullah Phase-III is a 3.5km elevated four-lane corridor across the Yamuna that will provide a direct, largely signal-free link between Mayur Vihar in east Delhi and Sarai Kale Khan, AIIMS and south Delhi. Approved in 2014 and originally scheduled for completion in 2017, the project has faced prolonged delays due to land acquisition disputes, environmental clearances and construction challenges in the Yamuna floodplain.The corridor is expected to cut travel time for commuters travelling between Mayur Vihar, Patparganj, Trilokpuri and other parts of east Delhi and areas around AIIMS and Jangpura.The exercise of load bearing tests is expected to continue for at least four days and could involve loaded trucks being moved across the structure to assess how selected sections perform under heavy traffic conditions. The purpose is to ensure that the corridor can safely carry the weight of vehicles for which it has been designed. “It is usually done to test if the bridge is safe for public use,” said an official.Meanwhile, work is underway on a roughly 10-metre loop at Sarai Kale Khan, which has to be completed before the corridor can open. Officials said it is likely to be completed in a week.
