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Ludhiana | Elevated road from Octroi post on Ferozepur Road on Verka plant side now open to public
Confirming the development, project director Krishan Sachdeva said that while one leg of the flyover from Octroi post on Ferozepur Road to Verka Milk Plant has been thrown open to light vehicles, the other side from Verka Milk Plant to Ferozepur Road will open for commuters in a couple of weeks.
In a major respite for commuters travelling from Ferozepur Road towards Bharat Nagar Chowk, the Samrala Chowk-Ferozepur Road flyover has been thrown open to public. As of now, only light motor vehicles are allowed on the stretch.
Confirming the development, project director Krishan Sachdeva said that while one leg of the flyover from Octroi post on Ferozepur Road to Verka Milk Plant has been thrown open to light vehicles, the other side from Verka Milk Plant to Ferozepur Road will open for commuters in a couple of weeks.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had installed barricades to restrain the entry of heavy vehicles on the Elevated Road due to ongoing construction.
As of now, the stretch has been opened for just light motor vehicles. The authority has installed a height restriction barrier at the entrance of the elevated road near Octroi post and also installed a board highlighting ‘No entry for heavy vehicles’.
Sachedva added, “Once the work on the other side is completed, we will allow the movement of heavy vehicles as well.
He said that earlier it used to take 10 minutes to reach Verka Milk Plant from Ferozepur Road, now it takes merely three minutes to cross the entire stretch. He maintained that once complete, the elevated road will considerably bring down the travel time of commuters.
Sumit Jain, a resident of Civil Lines, said he was surprised to see the elevated road thrown open for commuters.
Sunil Vinayak, a resident of Avtar Nagar on Ferozepur Road, said opening one stretch will add to the problem. “As a portion of Elevated Road is still under construction, the opening of this stretch will lead to traffic snarls in front of PAU.”
About the project
The 12.95-km elevated road is being constructed from Octroi post on Ferozepur Road (NH 95) to Samrala Chowk costing ₹756.27 crore.
The work had started in October 2017 with the target of completion in 30 months (by April 2020). However, in five years the NHAI could only build Cheema Chowk Flyover and elevated road till Verka Milk Plant.
Authorities say the project work till Bharat Nagar Chowk will be completed by March 2023, while the flyover project at Bharat Nagar Chowk will be completed by October 2023.
