Construction work on Chilla elevated road to begin next month

NOIDA: The Noida authority on Thursday said that work on the six-lane Chilla elevated road that is expected to decongest the Delhi-Noida Link Road will begin in January 2025 and efforts are being made to mobilise the workforce and finalise design details.

Officials aware of the matter said that the project will be completed within three years from the date on which construction work begins at the site. The six-lane elevated road will follow its original alignment, and the construction site has been handed over to the contractor, they added. The road, funded jointly by the Noida Authority and the state government’s PWD department, now has a revised budget of ₹893 crore.

“Now as all the formalities related to the budget have been completed, the work will stay on track. This project is crucial for thousands of commuters who travel between Delhi and Noida,” said Lokesh M, chief executive officer of the Noida authority.

The infrastructure and industrial development commissioner in early 2024 had approved the budget for this project. However, this amount was lesser than the ₹937.9 crore that had been projected by the Uttar Pradesh State Bridge Corporation Ltd (UPSBCL), the construction agency engaged in the work.

In June 2024, the bridge corporation had selected Panchkula-based MG Contractors to execute the project.

Conceived in 2012 to alleviate traffic congestion between Noida and Delhi, the Chilla elevated road project has faced multiple delays due to delays in the approval of the budget and other terms of the contract.

The Noida authority had initially approved ₹605.3 crore and planned to share the costs with the UP government. After UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath laid the foundation stone in January 2019, initial work began with funds from the Noida Authority. However, there was not much progress due to delay in the release of funds from PWD, the rerouting of a GAIL pipeline and complications related to additional construction work.

The Covid-19 pandemic then halted the project in March 2020. So far, only 13% of the project has been completed, with the Noida Authority having disbursed ₹79 crore.

The elevated road, 5.9 km long with six lanes, is expected to become a vital connector for commuters travelling between Delhi and Noida. In June last year, the state cabinet sanctioned ₹787 crore for the project, with costs shared equally between the Authority and the state government.