In order to decongest the National Capital Region (NCR) and Delhi, the Centre is developing road and highways infrastructure projects worth Rs 32,000 crore during the next couple of years beginning with commissioning of Delhi leg of the Meerut expressway later this month.
The Centre has also written to Delhi l-G Anil Baijal and asked him to expedite the Urban Extension Road (UER) project and said that the extra cost of UER will be shared by NHAI and DDA on an equal stake. The Delhi Master Plan has proposed a UER-II, which connects NH 1, 8 and 10 and this road was proposed to reduce traffic on the Ring Road and Outer Ring Road.
According to Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, all the initiatives are progressing fast to ensure seamless flow of traffic in the NCR besides minimising vehicular pollution. “We have undertaken projects worth Rs 31,930 crore to decongest Delhi and the NCR region and minimise vehicular pollution, which has become a major problem,” the Minister said.
As per the details, work on the Rs 12,000 crore Eastern Peripheral Expressway and Rs 6,000 crore Delhi-Meerut Expressway is on full swing and bids have been invited for the Rs 6,000 crore project for development of Dwarka Expressway.
“Work has already been awarded for decongestion of Dhaula Kuan-airport corridor to be executed at a cost of Rs 260 crore besides detailed project report (DPR) is in progress for Rs 5,000 crore new ring road project (UER II) for Delhi,” Gadkari said.
Gadkari further said apart from UER II, bids have been invited for development of Gurgaon-Sohna road with elevated highway/six-lane road with service roads. The project will cost Rs 1,500 crore.
According to the NHAI official development of major injunctions on NH-8 within Gurgaon limits is almost complete with a further investment of Rs 1000 crore on peripherals and a dedicated flyover at Hero Honda Chowk worth Rs 170 crore.
Further the 135-km-long eastern peripheral signal-free connectivity between Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gautam Budh Nagar (Greater Noida) and Palwal is also in pipeline besides the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, which according to Gadkari the Delhi part would be inaugurated anytime since the work is likely to be completed soon.