Noida elevated road closed from Sector 61 to Sector 18 after section caves in, traffic diverted

The Noida traffic police on Wednesday announced a diversion plan after a section of the elevated road from Sector 61 towards Sector 18 caved in

The Noida traffic police on Wednesday announced a diversion plan after a section of the elevated road from Sector 61 towards Sector 18 caved in, shutting traffic on the stretch until the Noida Authority completes repair work. The closure follows a similar incident on the road on September 15.

The 4.8-kilometre-long elevated road, which runs parallel to Maharaja Agrasen Marg, connects Sector 18 to Sector 61 and vice versa with three lanes on each side

The 4.8-kilometre-long elevated road, which runs parallel to Maharaja Agrasen Marg, connects Sector 18 to Sector 61 and vice versa with three lanes on each side. The road witnesses heavy traffic throughout the day as it connects Noida to Ghaziabad, Greater Noida and National Highway (NH-9). The traffic situation worsens during peak hours in the morning and evening.

The traffic police said that as traffic pressure increases during peak hours, a temporary diversion plan has been put in place to avoid congestion.

“It is informed that repair work is currently underway on a damaged section of the elevated road, just before the ramp (loop) descending towards ISKCON Temple, due to a pothole. In view of the repair work, traffic movement on the elevated road from Sector 61 towards Sector 18 will remain closed from Wednesday until the repair work is completed,” the Noida traffic police said in a statement.

The traffic police said that vehicles heading towards nearby sectors alongside the elevated road would be allowed to move as before. Emergency vehicles would also be allowed to move without any restrictions.

Notably, a section of the elevated road caved in on Monday, following which the traffic police put up barricades to prevent any accidents and allowed traffic to move through a single lane. However, as the Noida Authority began repair work on Wednesday, traffic movement on the elevated road was completely restricted.

Additional CEO of the Noida Authority Vandana Tripathi said, “The traffic movement has been diverted for safety till the restoration works are complete. The authority has started the repair work. We are probing to ascertain the reason for this cave-in and if this is linked to the previous incident.”

Recently, on September 15, a section of the elevated road from Sector 61 towards Sector 18 also caved in.

Officials said that the road would be repaired in two days, after which the carriageway would be opened. The Noida Authority has also planned to engage IIT Delhi to conduct a safety audit of the project, which was opened to the public in 2017.

The 4.8**-km** road was constructed at a cost of ₹480 crore. The elevated road is a key arterial route designed to ease congestion between sectors 18, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 60, 61 and 62. In March 2024, the Noida Authority had carried out repair and restoration work on the elevated road after the surface developed cracks and the layers eroded at different places. The project cost was ₹14.55 crore.

Traffic department data indicates that nearly 1.5 lakh commuters use the elevated road on weekdays, with traffic volume increasing during the morning and evening rush hours.