Skywalk plan to link DME, Electronic City metro stn

Noida: The Noida Authority is planning to construct a skywalk to connect Electronic City metro station with the Delhi-Meerut Expressway in an attempt to provide seamless movement for commuters who travel between Noida, Ghaziabad and Delhi.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which is executing the expressway project, had already cited a demand to link the road with the metro station.
Initially, Noida Authority had planned to execute the project on a build-operate-transfer basis and was looking for an agency to develop the skywalk in lieu of advertising rights. However, no agency showed much interest in the model and now, the authority will execute the project on its own.
“A skywalk to connect the expressway directly to the metro station will be needed in the coming years due to the increased movement of daily commuters. A lot of people heading towards Dasna and Meerut as well as towards Indirapuram in Ghaziabad get off at the Electronic City metro station and take public transport from the expressway to reach their destinations,” said the officer on special duty at Noida Authority, Indu Prakash Singh. He added that similarly, many commuters travelling towards Delhi use the expressway and then take the metro from Noida Electronic City.
In the absence of a direct link between the expressway and the metro station, commuters have to walk and take autorickshaws or buses to reach their destinations.
Singh said the estimated cost of the skywalk project is Rs 4.5 crore and the path would be 300-400 m long.
NHAI that has planned a foot bridge to connect the two sides of the expressway — Indirapuram in Ghaziabad on one side and Noida Sector 63 on the other — has left a provision to link it to a skywalk.
“Noida Authority will have to provide access to that foot bridge. It will solve the problem for those who get off at both the ends of the expressway,” said an NHAI official. According to estimates, the skywalk will help around 15,000 commuters daily for now and up to 50,000 commuters by June 2021.
Officials said they are looking at the possible alignment and entry/exit points for the skywalk. A resident of Express Garden in Indirapuram, Ganesh Rawat, who travels to Sector 18 in Noida on a daily basis, said: “At night, the road becomes extremely unsafe to cross. Pedestrians cross the road in groups fearing mishaps. A skywalk up to Electronic City metro station will solve problems of the commuters to a large extent.”