NH-48 traffic jam: Old RTR flyover closure leaves Delhi-Gurugram commuters stranded for hours

A day after the Old Rao Tula Ram (RTR) flyover ramp was closed for structural safety repairs, long queues of vehicles and traffic congestion on National Highway-48 (NH-48) left commuters stranded for hours on Thursday, affecting traffic between Gurugram and Delhi.

New Delhi Traffic Deputy Commissioner of Police Vikas Kumar said the congestion on NH-48 was a spillover effect of the flyover closure, as commuters who previously used the flyover switched to alternative routes.

“People who were earlier using the Old RTR flyover are now using other routes, including NH-48. With this, the load has increased significantly, causing congestion. The flyover was helping commuters bypass several junctions, and its closure has led to traffic pile-ups at multiple junctions also, with Mahipalpur being the worst affected area,” he said.

The congestion added at least 35 minutes to journey times, with vehicle queues stretching up to 1.5 km and backing up towards Gurugram, Mr. Kumar said.

The Old RTR flyover ramp, which handles an average of two lakh vehicles a day, was closed for urgent repairs to a damaged road surface. The situation worsened during the evening peak hours as employees returned from Gurugram to Delhi.

Commuters took to social media platform X to share photographs and videos of long queues, with some reporting that ambulances were stuck amid the congestion. Several said journeys that would ordinarily take a little over an hour had stretched to more than two hours.

“It is taking over one and a half hours to cover a 20-km stretch from Cyber Hub in Gurugram to Teen Murti in Central Delhi,” a commuter posted on X.

Another commuter said it had taken two hours to reach Connaught Place from Gurugram, blaming the congestion on NH-48 and the disruption around Dhaula Kuan.

A third commuter warned travellers to leave early to avoid missing flights, reporting that NH-48 had remained choked for hours. “It’s been 3 hours since it has been choked and the cops have hundreds of trucks on the highway,” the commuter said.

Another commuter said ambulances were stuck in traffic and unable to move. “There were trucks and goods carriers everywhere; I could see at least 25 from my car alone. Restricting their movement during the day could have made a significant difference,” the commuter said.

Mr. Kumar said the Delhi Traffic Police had informed the Gurugram Police to prevent heavy vehicles from entering the affected stretch. Additional traffic personnel had been deployed at several junctions, including Mahipalpur and along NH-48, to regulate traffic and ease congestion.

The Public Works Department (PWD) had initially said that the repair work would be completed by Thursday morning. However, Mr. Kumar said on Thursday night that the work was still under way and was expected to be completed by Friday. The ramp will remain closed for 48 hours after the repairs are completed to allow the concrete to cure and develop adequate strength.