L-G gives nod to Delhi's north-south signal-free corridor

Lt. Governor Anil Baijal on Tuesday directed the earliest clearance of the north-south signal-free corridor from Wazirabad to the Indira Gandhi Interbational Airport here after the Delhi government made a presentation on the Rs 6,000 crore project, according to a minister.

"We made a presentation on the project before the L-G, who took a keen interest and directed UTTIPEC -- Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning & Engineering) Centre -- to approve the project at the earliest," Public Works Department Minister Satyendar Jain told the media after a meeting with Baijal and other PWD officials.

He said the project was awaiting approval for about a year and a half.

The Minister said once approved by the UTTIPEC, the project will be completed in three and a half years.

"There will be no hurdle once the project is approved. All formalities have been completed."

The signal-free corridor comprises 28.6 km of elevated six-laned road and a 6-km tunnel between Zakhira and Pankha Road in west Delhi.

The corridor will start from the Signature Bridge in Wazirabad and end at UER II (Urban Extension Road II) near the Indira Gandhi International Airport via Zakhira, Pankha Road, Nalah Road, and Dwarka.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said the ambitious project would benefit a large number of Delhi residents by reducing travel time between north Delhi and the airport.

"It takes around three hours to reach the airport from Wazirabad because of traffic jams at various places. Once this corridor is completed, time needed to travel between Wazirabad and airport will be reduced to 30 minutes only," the Minister said.

He said once approved, the project's designing and other pre-construction works will be completed in six months and construction finished in three years.

"Normally, such big projects take six to seven years to complete... the estimated cost of this project is Rs 6,000 crore. Per km cost for the elevated road is expected to be around Rs 150 crore while the cost of underground construction is likely to be Rs 450 crore," Jain said.

He said after its completion, the Delhi government will operate a high-speed electric bus service on the corridor.

Jain said a similar east-west signal-free corridor of nearly 29 km -- from Anand Vihar in east Delhi to near Tikri Border in west Delhi -- was delayed due to some objections from the Railways.

The Minister said the Signature Bridge in Wazirabad will now be completed by May-June 2018, against the 2017-end deadline, since construction will remain suspended for four months due to monsoon.

--IANS

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