Only 46% done, 8km stretch of Delhi-Meerut Expressway set to miss April deadline
Abhijay Jha | TNN | Apr 14, 2019, 07:00 IST
Ghaziabad: The opening of an 8km stretch of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway (DME) in Ghaziabad is set to miss its April-end deadline. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which is implementing the project, said only 46% of the work is complete but still hopes to finish laying the road this month.
The NHAI had in February this year said that 8km of the expressway between UP Gate and Vijay Nagar would be thrown open in April. It had earlier promised to complete the stretch in March but had to extend the deadline after rain and a blanket ban on construction because of ringing pollution levels held up work.
On Saturday, NHAI expressed hope it would complete the 8km stretch this month. “We will stick to our April-end deadline,” said RP Singh, project director of NHAI. Asked about progress of work, he said: “Work on the stretch is 46% complete.”
Visits to various points on the stretch revealed that the remaining 54% was unlikely to be complete over the next three weeks. The NHAI is still to wrap up work on the Hindon bridge and on the cut between Indirapuram and Chijarsi, where only one side of the stretch has been laid so far. Work on the underpasses, too, is far from complete. The agency is currently working on the central verge, which constitutes the DME.
Seven underpasses and three others for light vehicles are supposed to be built on the 8km stretch of the DME. “These 10 underpasses will accommodate traffic coming from Indirapuram, Siddharth Vihar and Vijay Nagar on the Ghaziabad side and that from Noida,” said Singh. “While these underpasses will ensure seamless movement of traffic to Noida and Ghaziabad, Delhi and Dasna-bound vehicles will have to take the curve that will lead them to NH-9,” the officer added.
Once ready, vehicles coming from the Ghaziabad side will be able to get onto the 8km stretch of the DME at Abhay Khand.
The 14-lane DME is divided into two parts — there are three lanes on either side (total six), which is called the DME, and eight lanes in the middle, which is called NH-9.
The entire stretch is scheduled to complete in May 2020 at a cost of around Rs 2,000 crore.
The NHAI had in February this year said that 8km of the expressway between UP Gate and Vijay Nagar would be thrown open in April. It had earlier promised to complete the stretch in March but had to extend the deadline after rain and a blanket ban on construction because of ringing pollution levels held up work.
On Saturday, NHAI expressed hope it would complete the 8km stretch this month. “We will stick to our April-end deadline,” said RP Singh, project director of NHAI. Asked about progress of work, he said: “Work on the stretch is 46% complete.”
Visits to various points on the stretch revealed that the remaining 54% was unlikely to be complete over the next three weeks. The NHAI is still to wrap up work on the Hindon bridge and on the cut between Indirapuram and Chijarsi, where only one side of the stretch has been laid so far. Work on the underpasses, too, is far from complete. The agency is currently working on the central verge, which constitutes the DME.
Seven underpasses and three others for light vehicles are supposed to be built on the 8km stretch of the DME. “These 10 underpasses will accommodate traffic coming from Indirapuram, Siddharth Vihar and Vijay Nagar on the Ghaziabad side and that from Noida,” said Singh. “While these underpasses will ensure seamless movement of traffic to Noida and Ghaziabad, Delhi and Dasna-bound vehicles will have to take the curve that will lead them to NH-9,” the officer added.
Once ready, vehicles coming from the Ghaziabad side will be able to get onto the 8km stretch of the DME at Abhay Khand.
The 14-lane DME is divided into two parts — there are three lanes on either side (total six), which is called the DME, and eight lanes in the middle, which is called NH-9.
The entire stretch is scheduled to complete in May 2020 at a cost of around Rs 2,000 crore.
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