Five firms work on Expressway; Modi to inaugurate it in August

Five major infrastructure firms have been involved to complete within the targeted 400 days the Eastern Peripheral Expressway, which will be dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August, the government said on Friday.

The 135-km six-lane Expressway will help divert over two lakh vehicles, currently passing through Delhi, while travelling between neighbouring/adjoining states.

"The Expressway will be fully access-controlled. Entries and exits to and from the Expressway are through designated inter-changes only. It has a closed toll system wherein toll is collected only for the distance travelled and not the entire stretch," Union Minister for Road, Transport, Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari said.

Gadkari, during a review of the ongoing construction, visited Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh and Palwal in Haryana respectively.

Sadbhav Engineering, Jai Prakash Associates, Ashoka Buildcon, Oriental Structural Engineers, and Gayatri Constructions are involved in construction of different stretches of the Expressway.

A total of 2,094 contractors, engineering staff and 5,181 skilled and unskilled labourers are working to complete the project on time.

Gadkari was accompanied by National Highway Authority of India Chairman Yudhvir Singh Malik and Lok Sabha member from Baghpat Satyapal Singh.

He said it is the first time in India that farmers have been given a land acquisition cost of Rs 5,900 crore as compared with the project cost of an estimated Rs 4,418 crore.

The entire Expressway has seven inter-changes -- Delhi-Saharanpur (Mavikalan), Delhi-Meerut (Duhai), Delhi-Hapur (Dasna), Ghaziabad-Aligarh (Beel Akaberpur), Kasna-Bulandshahar (near Sirsa), Atali-Chainsa (Maujpur) and Delhi-Agra (Palwal).

There are four flyovers, 77 vehicular underpasses and 152 pedestarian underpasses on the Expressway.

Toll plazas will be equipped with electronic systems for faster tax collection and uninterrupted travel experience.

The Expressway will be equipped with highway traffic management system, which will include variable messages, signages, closed-circuit television, video incident detection system, warning devices, overspeed checking system and other smart features.

As many as 2.5 lakh trees of different species are proposed to be planted along the Expressway.

Rain water harvesting will be provided at every 500-metre interval on either side of the Expressway.

The project was started after the Supreme Court's directive in 2006 to construct a ring road for vehicles not bound for Delhi to move between Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Initially, the project was to take two and half years, but following Modi's directive the target has been set at 400 days.

The Expressway passes through Sonipat, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Faridabad, and Palwal in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The proposed alignment crosses the Yamuna at Khurrampur/Khata in Uttar Pradesh and Faizpur Khadar in Haryana and also crosses the Hindon river.

--IANS

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