NOIDA: More delay is in the offing for commuters looking for a seamless ride between Wave City Centre metro station and Noida Extension, as the six-lane Sector 52-71 underpass will take some more time to be thrown open for vehicles. Having been unable to meet the December 2020 deadline, the contractor executing the project has sought an extension from the Noida Authority to finish the project.
Sources told TOI that it might take up to three months more for the underpass to be thrown open for vehicular movement. “A new payment schedule for the contractor has to be cleared by senior officials of the Noida Authority since the deadline will have to be revised. The contractor has cited lockdown-related restrictions while making a case for the deadline extension,” sources said.
While commuters are able to access Vishwakarma Marg, the road that connects Barola to Sector 61, the ones heading towards Greater Noida from Noida City Centre have to take a detour since the underpass is not yet ready and diversions remain enforced.
Meanwhile, the Noida Authority is waiting for an approval from the metro railways safety commissioner. A pillar of the metro line which goes towards Sector 62 from the intersection is situated next to the underpass. However, to carry out civil work in the affected portion, the Authority will have to obtain the permission of the safety commissioner.
Officials said that the design of the underpass has been sent to the commissioner’s office. “We have written and explained to them that when the metro line was being constructed, the Noida Authority had taken into account the design of the underpass and ensured that construction work does not create any conflict with safety or daily operations of the metro services. But we have been told it is a procedural matter and some more time will be needed to give clearance,” said an official.