Highway To Hapur To Be Eight-Laned
Highway To Hapur To Be Eight-Laned, Unlikely NH-24 Stretch Will Not Be A Toll Road
By sakshi sinha, Section Roads in Noida
Posted on Mon Jul 19, 2010 at 12:40:42 AM EST
Work will soon begin to make the drive to Nainital or Corbett national park get off to a fast start. The road transport and highways ministry is starting work on eightlaning the 28km stretch of National Highway-24 from Ghaziabad border to Dasna near Hapur. The eight-laning work already underway on the 8km stretch between Nizamuddin Bridge and Ghaziabad border is expected to be complete by the end of this year.
At present, the four-laned road from Ghaziabad border to Dasna is one of the most congested NH corridors in the country. Ministry officials said the Rs 300-crore widening project, that may take three years for completion, would make this stretch almost signal-free.
Unlike the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway, the four-laned road from Ghaziabad border to Dasna will not be converted into a toll road even after the widening work is completed. Ministry officials said this decision was taken bearing in mind that a large section of the traffic using this stretch is local. Officials expect traffic on this road to grow in view of increased occupancy in residential areas along NH-24.
``This will be a cash contract project and we are hopeful of awarding it in the next one month. We have consciously decided not to follow the public private partnership (PPP) model. We felt that there would be strong opposition if we made it a toll road,'' said a top ministry official. He added that under the scheme, the existing road will be widened and there is a provision of constructing elevated structures as well.
Ministry sources said the plan was conceived years ago but somehow did not take off. Now, with occupancy increasing in upcoming colonies along NH-24, the widening has become all the more crucial. ``Already eight-laning work is underway between Nizamuddin Bridge and Ghaziabad border and it is likely to be completed by the end of this year. So, now the need is to create more road space beyond the border to meet the traffic demand,'' said a ministry official.
NH-24 between Nizamuddin Bridge and Indirapuram is one of the busiest stretches during peak hours. Ministry sources said two years back the daily traffic movement on this stretch was nearly 1.4 lakh passenger car units (PCUs). In the recent years, areas beyond Ghaziabad border have emerged as prime residential destination for people working in Delhi. Comparatively cheap housing has pushed the growth of these colonies. Widening of the stretch has now become all the more crucial. ``Full occupancy in Indirapuram alone will generate enough vehicular trips to choke the present highway,'' said an official.
A traffic survey by RITES in 2008 had shown that vehicular growth on this stretch had increased by almost 200% more than the highway's carrying capacity.
Source: Times Of India
By sakshi sinha, Section Roads in Noida
Posted on Mon Jul 19, 2010 at 12:40:42 AM EST
Work will soon begin to make the drive to Nainital or Corbett national park get off to a fast start. The road transport and highways ministry is starting work on eightlaning the 28km stretch of National Highway-24 from Ghaziabad border to Dasna near Hapur. The eight-laning work already underway on the 8km stretch between Nizamuddin Bridge and Ghaziabad border is expected to be complete by the end of this year.At present, the four-laned road from Ghaziabad border to Dasna is one of the most congested NH corridors in the country. Ministry officials said the Rs 300-crore widening project, that may take three years for completion, would make this stretch almost signal-free.
Unlike the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway, the four-laned road from Ghaziabad border to Dasna will not be converted into a toll road even after the widening work is completed. Ministry officials said this decision was taken bearing in mind that a large section of the traffic using this stretch is local. Officials expect traffic on this road to grow in view of increased occupancy in residential areas along NH-24.
``This will be a cash contract project and we are hopeful of awarding it in the next one month. We have consciously decided not to follow the public private partnership (PPP) model. We felt that there would be strong opposition if we made it a toll road,'' said a top ministry official. He added that under the scheme, the existing road will be widened and there is a provision of constructing elevated structures as well.
Ministry sources said the plan was conceived years ago but somehow did not take off. Now, with occupancy increasing in upcoming colonies along NH-24, the widening has become all the more crucial. ``Already eight-laning work is underway between Nizamuddin Bridge and Ghaziabad border and it is likely to be completed by the end of this year. So, now the need is to create more road space beyond the border to meet the traffic demand,'' said a ministry official.
NH-24 between Nizamuddin Bridge and Indirapuram is one of the busiest stretches during peak hours. Ministry sources said two years back the daily traffic movement on this stretch was nearly 1.4 lakh passenger car units (PCUs). In the recent years, areas beyond Ghaziabad border have emerged as prime residential destination for people working in Delhi. Comparatively cheap housing has pushed the growth of these colonies. Widening of the stretch has now become all the more crucial. ``Full occupancy in Indirapuram alone will generate enough vehicular trips to choke the present highway,'' said an official.
A traffic survey by RITES in 2008 had shown that vehicular growth on this stretch had increased by almost 200% more than the highway's carrying capacity.
Source: Times Of India