The three bridges across Shahdara drain will be widened, bringing relief to thousands of commuters shuttling between Delhi and Noida via Delhi-Noida-Direct (DND) flyway. Noida Authority officials met the Delhi Irrigation and Flood Department to fast track the project.
Estimated to cost about Rs60 crore, Sectors 16A-18 bridge and Sectors 14-14A bridge will be completed within a year after construction commences. The bridge near Okhla barrage will be completed in a year-and-a-half, officials said.
The tender for the revamp of the three bridges, which will commence from October this year, has been finalised by a high-level committee. The project will widen the existing four-lane bridges to eight-lane bridges and each of the 7.5-m carriageway will be widened by 15-m. Authority officials said that the detailed project report (DPR) and other formalities have been completed.
“The tailback along the 6-km Shahdara drain peaks between 9 am-11 am and between 6 pm-8 pm. A jam occurs as almost 10-12 lanes of traffic converge into just two lanes on the bridges,” said a Traffic Police officer. “Once the width of the bridges is doubled, commuters will enjoy a smooth ride to Delhi, Faridabad and Ghaziabad,” he added.
“The project has been put on fast-track considering increasing traffic on the bridge flanks,” said an official from Noida Authority. According to officials, the tenders were initiated for the three bridges in October last year by the Delhi Irrigation and Flood Control Departments but only one company having bid successfully and the department had decided to call for re-tendering. Announcement of poll dates and implementation of the Model Code of Conduct had further delayed the re-tendering process. In 2013, the Noida Authority had sanctioned Rs90 crore for widening of the four bridges across the drain. Since the Shahdara drain comes under the jurisdiction of Delhi, after signing a MoU with the Delhi Government, the Authority had released 3 per cent cost of the project, about Rs1.41 crore, to the Irrigation Department for the widening of three of the five bridges over the drain. “The initial amount was released for soil testing, site survey, construction of the site office and preparing the design and blueprint of the bridges,” the official added.
According to agreement, the project will be funded by the Authority but carried out by the Delhi Government. Starting from Chilla Regulator area in Delhi, Shahdara drain enters Noida at Sector 14, 14A and runs along Sector 95 flowing into Yamuna below Kalindi Kunj Bridge. Along the way, the drain runs under four bridges at Udyog Marg, Master Plan-I Road, Master Plan-II Road and the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway link road.