IIT-Roorkee gives nod for two underpasses on Noida Expressway

The Noida authority said the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee (IIT-Rourkee), has given its nod for the construction of two underpasses on the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway, which were mooted by the authority to ease commuting in the city.

Following IIT Roorkee’s nod, the Noida authority chief executive officer Lokesh M has also given his approval to these two crucial projects, which will be built within a year of work starting on the ground.

One underpass will be built near Jhatta and the other near Sultanpur village thereby benefiting residents of several sectors and villages, who will be able seamlessly cross over from one side of the expressway to the other, said officials.

“As the formalities have been completed, the authority is likely to issue a tender to select a construction agency shortly. Once the agency is selected, following the laid down norms, work will begin at the site. These two underpasses will help commuters cross over with ease without facing any traffic congestion,” said Lokesh M.

The authority may start work on these two underpasses by March end after the construction agency is picked through a tendering process. The agency that will place the lowest bid will get the project, said officials.

The Noida authority has planned to build a total of five underpasses on the 25km Noida-Greater Noida Expressway. In phase 1, it has already built three underpasses -- in Sector 96, Sector 137 and Sector 145 to benefit residents of sectors 94, 126, 127, 130, 130, 135, 150, 168, 169, 96, 97, 100, 137, 144 and 145, etc.

Now the authority has decided to build one underpass at a distance of 6.1km from Mahamaya flyover near Sultanpur village and another 16.4km from Mahamaya flyover near Jhatta village.

The underpass proposed near Jhatta village will have a length of 800 metre and a budget of R117 crore. This underpass will benefit the residents of many sectors including sector 151, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 162, 128, 129 and 135 among others.

The underpass proposed near Sultanpur village will be 731 metres long and will be built with a budget of ₹98 crore. This underpass will directly benefit sectors 98, 104, 105, 107, 108 and 110, among others, said officials.

There are dozens of residential, industrial and mixed-land use projects along the expressway and it attracts around 100,000 commuters daily. Traffic congestion is a major issue for commuters, especially during peak hours.

“Crossing the expressway from one side to the other becomes tough during peak hours. When these underpasses are opened, residents will be able to commute with ease without facing any congestion,” said Umesh Kumar, a resident of Sector 167.