Newly opened overbridge in Ghaziabad out of bounds for cars

The commuters said that car owners still have no option to use the overbridge as huge barricades have been put in the middle portion of the bridge, while leaving little space on both sides for the passage of two-wheelers

The authorities in Ghaziabad have opened up the newly-constructed rail overbridge connecting Vijay Nagar to Ghaziabad city around Diwali festival, but incidentally only two-wheelers are being allowed to use it. The restructuring and relocation work at the end point of the overbridge near Chaudhary Morh is yet to take off, sources said.

Ghaziabad, India – October 28, 2022: A barrier installed at the Dhobi Ghat bridge only permits two-wheelers to pass through, in Ghaziabad, India, on Friday, October 28, 2022. (Photo by Sakib Ali/ Hindustan Times).

The commuters said that car owners still have no option to use the overbridge as huge barricades have been put in the middle portion of the bridge, while leaving little space on both sides for the passage of two-wheelers.

“The demand for the new rail overbridge has been in place since the 1980s. Now, it has been opened, but only for two-wheelers. This is troubling car owners who still have to take a longer distance to travel between the city and Vijay Nagar. If the overbridge was not complete in all respects, its opening could have been delayed. Further, it is just two-laned and it could have been wider to cater and accommodate the huge volume of traffic,” said Tejesh Chauhan, a resident of Pratap Vihar.

“Further, the authorities have not done anything to remove a police post and restructure the Chaudhary Morh crossing. There will be huge congestion as a result of traffic from the overbridge merging with the heavy traffic at Chaudhary Morh crossing,” Chauhan added.

Others said that the streetlights have been installed but they are not yet functional.

“Two-wheeler drivers will be at a great risk. It seems that the authorities opened the overbridge without completing it in all respects. The commuters, however, have started using it to avoid the long alternative routes,” said Manish Kumar, another commuter.

The overbridge ends at Chaudhary Morh, which also has a police post. The officials said that the police post needs to be relocated elsewhere and proper restructuring of the intersection is needed.

The overbridge has been constructed at a cost of ₹110 crore and about 50% of the expense is being paid by the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA). It is adjacent to the Ghaziabad railway station.

“We will visit the new overbridge and get an on-site inspection to look into the issues. The inspection will be conducted soon,” said Rakesh Kumar Gupta, GDA chief engineer.

The 153-metre-long overbridge has been built on the busy Delhi-Kanpur railway section and is constructed without pillars and supported by three structures.

“We have installed streetlights but the electricity connection is still awaited. Some finishing works are still pending and they will be completed soon. The relocation of the police post is to be taken up by the authorities,” said Suryansh Sharma, managing director, BS Construction, the company that undertook the overbridge work.