The Noida authority is taking up several infrastructural projects like six new Metro networks,six elevated roads,flyovers,underpasses,multilevel parking lots,and a new bridge on the Okhla Barrage in line with the Master Plan 2031.A K TIWARY reports
To provide better transportation and commuter-friendly infrastructure,the Noida authority is all set to start work on six Metro networks,multilevel parking,two major road linkages,six elevated roads on the main road and a number of flyovers and underpasses.This will push real estate values in Noida.
According to a work plan prepared by the Noida authority,six elevated roads will be built on six of the busiest routes along Sectors 21 to 12,56 T Point on master plan Road 1,Sector 60 to NH-24 on master plan Road 3,Sector 49 to 110 on DSC Road,Vishwa Bharti School to Sector 61 on master plan Road 2,Extension of Film City flyover up to Atta underpass and Sectors 19 and 27 near Spice Mall;this will greatly ease the traffic congestion in the city.
In addition,new underpasses and flyovers have been planned at ten places like Sectors 37,125,94,95,35,51 Crossing,Sectors 19,20,26,27 Crossing,Sectors 19,27,18,17 Crossing,etc.The Noida authority has also approved a 5.8km elevated road parallel to the Shahdara drain.Starting from Sectors 14 and 14A onto Sector 95 and Kalindi Kunj,the four-lane stretch will cost Rs 525 crore.This route will provide an alternative route between Kalindi Kunj and Noida,and will ease traffic congestion on the expressway.
S K Dwivedi,the chief executive officer of Noida,said the new Master Plan 2031 projects a population of 25 lakh,19 lakh more than existing population.Keeping this in mind,roads connecting to each sector have been proposed to be widened to 45 metres,from 30 metres.In keeping with the traffic plan,Dwivedi says the authority is already working to decongest various bottlenecks that are coming in the way of smooth movement of vehicular traffic.Roads like those in Sector 18,Rajni Gandha Chowk,Sector 37 and Choura Mode,among others,have been widened to meet the growth of vehicular movement.In addition,to ease the traffic load,an additional bridge would also be built on the Okhla Barrage,parallel to the existing Yamuna bridge.
“Undoubtedly,till a few years ago,these roads were very wide and were good enough to service the existing population.But now,they have become inadequate for smooth traffic movement.According to the new master plan,the city has a high score in terms of modern amenities,and has a healthy environment.The connectivity to New Delhi and Gurgaon has also made Noida a destination for business travellers and investors.With the implementation of a work plan according to the Master Plan 2031,the authority has been working on different schemes to strengthen and build upon the current advantages the city already has,”Dwivedi says.
New parking lots
Parking is a major problem in Noida.Over the years,the space crunch for parking vehicles has risen to an alarming proportion because of a lack of planning.Traffic chaos is a common problem,as limited space for parking leads to improper parking across roads.Vehicles are parked on the streets and the footpaths,creating bottlenecks to regular traffic flow in many areas like Harola Market,Sectors 6,15,16,62,etc;entering Noida during peak hours is difficult,and can be harrowing.A large number of vehicles belonging to BPO companies can be seen parked haphazardly,on roads in Sectors 16,3,24,58,59,60,61 and 62.
To free the city from these traffic woes,the authority has planned to open new multilevel parking lots in the city in Sectors 5,8,18,57 and 63.The authority has already approved the final design for the parking lots that lie in four industrial sectors and one business sector of the city.Dwivedi has directed the respective officials to expedite the process.Senior managers of the authority have already discussed the plan with consultants,engineers and architects.According to the plan,Sectors 5,8,18,57 and 63 have been selected for these parking lots,as there has an acute shortage of parking space in here.Multilevel parking lots will be built in other residential sectors as well.
A new bridge on Okhla Barrage
Okhla Barrage,which connects Kalindi Kunj to Noida and which was opened to traffic in 1986,will have an additional bridge running parallel to the existing one.Since then,it has been under tremendous pressure with an explosion in the volume of vehicular traffic.Keeping this in view,the authority has decided to build a new bridge parallel to the existing one,which is also a part of the master plan.A detailed project report (DPR) is being prepared by M/s Holtech Consulting India Pvt Ltd and the bridge is likely to be completed by 2013.
The existing old bridge will be also be upgraded soon.For this,work will be taken up in phases on both sides of the carriageway.During the repair work,one side of the bridge will be closed for a month while traffic movement will be allowed on the other side.
S K Dwivedi,chief executive officer of Noida,says: “The existing bridge on Okhla barrage was designed to cater to only around 10,000 vehicles.But right now the daily volume of traffic is over 1 lakh vehicles.Under a decongestion drive,the project will be completed within the time frame.”
The Okhla Barrage was built to check the flow of the Yamuna and prevent floods.It has a two-lane link on each side to connect Noida with areas like Kalindi Kunj and Mathura Road,which cannot cope with the volume of traffic.Colonies springing up along Noida-Greater Noida Expressway have also contributed to the increase in traffic.No repair work had been carried out on the bridge since it was opened.
Six metro networks
1.Noida City Centre to Sector 71 and NH-24 2.Noida City Centre to Sector 71,121 and Greater Noida 3.Noida City Centre to Sector 50,78,142 and Along the Expressway to Greater Noida 4.Kalindi Kunj to Botanical Garden (connecting Noida to South Delhi) 5.Sector 94/124 to Sector 142 via Sector 44 6.Sector 71 to Bodaki in Greater Noida via Sector 121 (this covers the Noida Extension area).
Times Property dt. 21st, January, 2012.
