Elevated road to link NH24, Raj Nagar Extension
Lalit Kumar,TNN | Aug 21, 2014, 03.55 AM IST
GHAZIABAD: Starved of infrastructure initiatives, Ghaziabad on Wednesday bagged a project billed as the largest such venture in UP ? a Rs 1,125-crore elevated road stretching 10km and joining Raj Nagar Extension to NH-24.
It is expected to cut the driving time between the two points to 10 minutes. At present, the drive takes up to an hour depending on traffic. The icing on the good news is that this road will be toll-free.
Work on the road project is expected to begin on September 20 and finish by March 2017. The Ghaziabad Development Authority, which made the announcement, said the elevated road was the single-biggest such project to be undertaken by a development agency in UP. But in the context of NCR, it's a project that should have been mooted long ago for a rapidly urbanizing city like Ghaziabad.
The elevated road will follow the path of the Hindon canal, starting 200 metres from NH-24 on the road turning into Vaishali from UP gate and ending near Karhera in the Raj Nagar Extension area. Midway, it will have an entry point at Kanavni and an exit point towards the CISF camp. A bridge will also be built over the railway line near NH24 for which an "in-principle clearance from the railways" has been obtained, Yadav said. The road will also sharply reduce traffic on NH-24 and Link Road.
The GDA will also coordinate with the DMRC to have the Metro extension from Dilshad Garden to New Bus Terminal pass under the elevated road, and not above it. Yadav said the GDA's cost will increase by Rs 150 crore if the Metro track goes above the elevated road.
GDA chairman Santosh Yadav said the project has been bagged by Navyug Construction Company of Bangalore following global tenders. Yadav said, "The new road will cut down travelling time for motorists going to Raj Nagar Extension sharply, to about 10 minutes. It now takes 50 to 60 minutes. Think of the time saved and fuel saved, not to speak of a sharp drop in pollution and increased development. We've already received all environment and social clearances for the project."
Most of the funding will be through a loan of Rs 700 crore from the NCR Planning Board, Yadav said. The project in charge for the elevated road, Chakresh Jain, said, "The cost of construction of the elevated road, which will pass through Vaishali, Indirapuram and Vasundhra, will be Rs 970 crore. But after land acquisition and other costs are added, it will be around Rs 1,125 crore. So, to cover the remaining cost, we will levy a charge of Rs 500/sq m on builders who apply to construct new projects in the Raj Nagar Extension Area."