New Delhi: The final 40-meter deck slab of the Barapullah Phase-III, the 3.5km elevated road overbridge across Yamuna on the Sarai Kale Khan to Mayur Vihar carriageway, was cast on Monday, completing the project delayed by nearly a decade.PWD minister Parvesh Verma visited the project site to witness the casting of the last slab which involved the casting of approximately 175 cubic metres of concrete. With this, the project has now crossed the landmark figure of nearly 4.5 lakh cubic metres of concrete, an engineering achievement that reflects the scale of the elevated corridor, his office said.Delhi govt had announced that the Barapullah-III will be completed June 30, but officials said as the large slab was cast on June 22, the project could take at least more than two weeks of curing before it can be processed further so that the carriageway is ready to become motorable. Accordingly, the project could be ready for opening in mid July, said an official.Govt did not share the next deadline on which the project is likley to be opened for vehicular movement.Approved in 2014 and initiated in 2015, the project was originally targeted for completion in 2017. Instead, it became one of Delhi’s most delayed infrastructure projects, with setbacks ranging from a seven-year land acquisition dispute and environmental approvals to engineering challenges such as installing pillars in the unstable soil of Yamuna. The project, which began in 2015, saw repeated delays and cost escalation, with the revised project cost now standing at approximately Rs 1,635 crore against the original planned cost of Rs 1,261 crore.“After the formation of the present govt, Barapullah Phase-III was identified as a priority project and monitored continuously. For years, Delhiites saw deadlines come and go. After our govt came to power, we decided that this project could not be allowed to remain stuck any longer. I have personally visited the site multiple times, reviewed progress regularly and worked with officials to remove bottlenecks. Today’s milestone is the result of that collective effort,” said Verma, who also shared dinner with workers, engineers and staff members who have spent years working on the project on Monday.Barapullah Phase-III, Delhi’s 10th road overbridge across Yamuna, is set to enhance connectivity between East and South Delhi by creating a seamless, largely signal-free corridor across the river.Once operational, the project will provide faster travel for commuters from Mayur Vihar and nearby areas heading towards Sarai Kale Khan, AIIMS and parts of south Delhi.