Gadkari launches several highway projects to decongest NCR

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday inaugurated two National Highway projects in Gurugram aimed at decongesting the National Capital Region and also laid the foundation stone for two new projects.

The Minister inaugurated a four-lane flyover at Maharana Pratap Chowk on Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road and an eight-lane flyover at Hero Honda Chowk on NH-8, a statement from the Road Transport Ministry said.

The project cost of the two flyovers is estimated to be Rs 34 crore and Rs 95 crore respectively, the statement said.

Gadkari also inaugurated a two-lane underpass from Chaudhary Baktawar Singh Road towards Delhi -- near Rajiv Chowk -- costing Rs 30 crore.

All three projects are aimed at decongesting roads, a ministry official said.

During the inauguration event, Gadkari said that Delhi-Jaipur expressway would be completed by December this year.

"One would be able to travel between Jaipur and Delhi in just two hours once this access-controlled expressway is completed," he said.

"People did not believe me when I said that I would make it possible to travel between Mumbai and Pune in just two hours which earlier took seven to eight hours. But after the construction of Mumbai-Pune expressway, now people actually travel from Mumbai to Pune in just two hours," Gadkari said.

He added that same would happen for Delhi and Jaipur.

Gadkari also said that the Eastern Peripheral Expressway, which would ease the traffic in Delhi, would be completed by November this year.

"I wanted to inaugurate it on Independence Day on August 15 but a farmer protest delayed the project by two months," he said.

The minister said that the issue has been resolved now and the expressway would be inaugurated in November.

He said that Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has also assured that Western Peripheral Expressway will also be completed by November this year.

During the event, Gadkari also laid the foundation stone for upgradation and strengthening of NH-248A from Rajiv Chowk to Sohna at Rs 1700 crores.

"He also laid the foundation stone for improvement of T-junctions near Dhaula Kuan Metro Station and near Defence Area at a project cost Rs 270 crore," the statement said.

Minister of State for Planning and Gurugram MP Rao Inderjit Singh said the work on national highways and waterways that has been done in the last three years under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been unparalleled.

--IANS

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