Land crunch hits widening of road

Monday , Jul 27, 2009
source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Even as Public Works Department (PWD) maintains that the ongoing road and flyover projects will be completed before the Commonwealth Games though there might be slight delay none is ready to comment on the widening and upgrade of 3.4-km UP Link Road between Akshardham and Noida.

Officials say everything depends on the availability of 25.5 acre land from UP government along the Yamuna, which is yet to be acquired for the project.

Till July 3, the work which was started last October had achieved only 9% progress. "Besides adding one additional lane to each carriageway of the existing road, we have to construct two double carriageway flyovers and one with a single carriageway. The double carriageway flyovers can be completed only when we get the land on the Noida-Delhi side,'' says a senior PWD official.

So far one service lane has been added to the Noida Morh-Noida border stretch as this portion of land belongs to the Delhi government. The work on the first single carriageway flyover covering the stretch at Mayur Vihar-I traffic signal has started. "We can't make any forecast. The contractor also can't do much until we provide it the required land. The move to acquire the land under emergency clause is at an advanced stage. The sooner it happens, it's better,'' a PWD official says.

The project is aimed at decongesting traffic around the upcoming Games Village near Akshardham temple and doing away with three traffic signals on the stretch. The scope of work includes widening of the existing UP Link Road from the present six lanes to eight lanes by adding one lane parallel to Mayur Vihar and the Delhi Metro line and the second lane on the Yamuna riverbed side.

Apart from this, one single carriageway flyover will be built over Mayur Vihar-I traffic signal, two double carriageway flyovers over Samachar Apartments crossing and Delhi-Noida-Delhi toll road. Separate lanes for a cycle track and footpath are also part of this Rs 334 crore project.

Meanwhile, the grade separator work at Ghazipur crossing is progressing according to the schedule and officials claim it will be over by April 2010. Similarly, the two other major road projects flyovers at Apsara border and another near Patparganj industrial area are in progress according to the schedule.