Noida to spend ₹8 crore to boost safety on expressway

NOIDA: The Noida authority has decided to streamline safety features along the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway to ensure safety of thousands of daily commuters, and earmarked ₹8 crore for the safety upgrade project, officials said on Sunday.

The project that will include signages, solar-powered road markers, fresh road markings using thermoplastic paint, speed limit signs, rumble strips, and exit point markers, among others, they added.

The authority has already issued a tender for the work, and interested companies can apply by May 15. The safety work will begin near Sector-14A and cover the rest of the expressway.

“The Noida-Greater Noida Expressway is a key road that connects Delhi with Greater Noida and leads to the Yamuna Expressway and the thousands of commuters use this daily. It will be a key link to the upcoming Noida International Airport in Jewar. That makes it even more important to improve its safety features quickly,” Vijay Rawal, general manager at the Noida authority.

The expressway is 24km-long, with its 20 km stretch falling under Noida authority and the rest 4km under Greater Noida authority. Many accidents have happened on the expressway due to poor lighting, missing road signs, and unclear entry and exit points.

The need for better safety measures became urgent following an accident on August 14, 2024, that killed three students after their car hit a pole and then a crash barrier.

A recent survey by the authority found that important features like lane markings, reflectors, and direction boards were either missing or damaged. Bollards (short posts that help guide traffic) were also not in place at several points.

The Noida authority earlier had hired experts from the Regional Centre for Urban and Environmental Studies (RCUES) to study the road. They found that many areas didn’t have proper markings, reflectors, or signboards. Also, it was hard for drivers to know where to safely change lanes or enter sectors along the road. There were also no proper kilometre markers, which made navigation difficult—especially for those unfamiliar with the area.

Now, the authority plans to fix these issues as per the guidelines laid out by the Indian Road Congress, which sets safety standards for highways.

Officials said these changes will improve both safety and traffic flow. Along the expressway, there are 13-foot overbridges and about 19-20 public toilets and urinals but most of these lack proper signboards.

While these facilities will not be changed, clear signage will be added so commuters can locate them easily, especially at night, they added.