Overdue Faridabad-Noida -Ghaziabad Expressway gets boost

UP and Haryana have decided to split the cost equally for building a crucial 600-metre bridge across the Yamuna River near Noida’s Mangroli village, which will link the expressway to Faridabad

After decades of delay, officials from the Noida authority and Faridabad Metropolitan Development Authority announced on Sunday that they have agreed to complete the long-pending Faridabad-Noida-Ghaziabad (FNG) expressway, officials said. The project, which promises to reduce travel time by up to 40 minutes between the three cities, will now be jointly funded by the Uttar Pradesh and Haryana governments, they added.

The FNG expressway, first proposed in 1989 to help decongest Delhi roads by allowing motorists to bypass the capital while travelling between the three cities, has seen little progress over 27 years. Officials cited lack of coordination between UP and Haryana and unresolved funding issues—particularly for the Yamuna bridge—as key reasons behind the delay. (Sunil Ghosh/HT File)

The two states have decided to split the cost equally for building a crucial 600-metre bridge across the Yamuna River near Noida’s Mangroli village, which will link the expressway to Faridabad. The Noida authority will bear 50% of the cost of this bridge, while it will be constructed by the Haryana agency, according to officials. According to officials, once the estimates of the projects will be finalised by the end of year, they will initiate the work on ground.

“Now we have got an official letter from the Faridabad government body that they are ready to share the project cost,” said Noida authority’s chief general manager Vijay Rawal. “This project will immensely benefit not only Ghaziabad or Noida but also Faridabad, as it will cut travel time by up to 40 minutes,” he added.

The FNG expressway, first proposed in 1989 to help decongest Delhi roads by allowing motorists to bypass the capital while travelling between the three cities, has seen little progress over 27 years. Officials cited lack of coordination between Uttar Pradesh and Haryana and unresolved funding issues—particularly for the Yamuna bridge—as key reasons behind the delay.

The breakthrough follows directions issued by the then Uttar Pradesh chief secretary Durga Shankar Mishra during a meeting with Noida officials on January 29, 2023. He had stressed the need to revive and expedite the project to ease pressure on existing roads.

The 22-km stretch of FNG falling in Noida, beginning from NH-24 (Delhi–Meerut Expressway), is about 70% complete and is being partially used. However, land disputes and funding disagreements have stalled the remaining work, according to officials. A 5-km elevated stretch over the Hindon embankment road will also be built once the bridge construction starts, they added.

“We need to build some small patches, which got delayed due to land issues. These will now be resolved,” Rawal added.

Senior town planner of Faridabad Metropolitan Development Authority Rajesh Kaushik said, “As both state governments have agreed to share the bridge cost, work on this project will be initiated. It will connect Faridabad directly with Noida and benefit thousands of commuters.”

 Currently, only a 3-km stretch of the expressway—connecting Chhijarsi on NH-24 with Noida Extension—is operational. A further 9-km section from Chhijarsi to Sector 117 is complete but not open to traffic due to land issues blocking the route at Sector 117. This has impacted connectivity within Noida itself.

“The work at Sector 117 point is halted due to land disputes. The stretch is ready in parts till Dadri Road and then to the Noida Expressway, but because of these gaps, motorists cannot use it,” a senior Noida authority official said on condition of anonymity.

Following these delays, residents of Sectors 119 and 120, where several group housing societies are located, have been demanding swift completion of the road for better intra-city access. “As the FNG is incomplete, we face traffic congestion daily. We fail to understand why the Noida Authority cannot even complete small stretches on this expressway,” said Amita Singh, a Sector 119 resident.

Due to the incomplete FNG expressway many commuters use single lane near sector 115. As a result it not only causes problems to the users but also pose risks of accidents. The Noida authority at least must finish small stretches work so that we can use it smoothly,” said Satish Kumar, a resident of sector 116.

“The Noida authority had in 2013 built most of the FNG expressway stretches and it is useful to the commuters because during peak hours most of the roads of Noida witness heavy traffic and congestion. Since 2013 the authority has not touched any remaining incomplete stretches. We fail to understand why cannot the Noida authority built all stretches, which fall in its jurisdiction,” said Umesh Singh, a resident of sector 167, where this expressway is passing through.