New flyover on UP Link Road in dark

It was supposed to provide convenient and uninterrupted passage to thousands of commuters travelling to and fro from Noida.

It was supposed to provide convenient and uninterrupted passage to thousands of commuters travelling to and fro from Noida.

HT Image

A month after it was inaugurated, however, a large number of imported streetlights on the seemingly pristine single carriageway flyover at the Mayur Vihar phase I junction on the UP link road have stopped functioning. “The new flyover was by far the only safe stretch.

Unlike the pitch-dark, potholed road connecting the link road to the flyover and a similar stretch beyond it, driving on the flyover was comparatively convenient,” said Seema Pahuja (35), a sales executive and Mayur Vihar phase I resident. Constructed at a cost of Rs 40 crore, the 700-metre-long flyover was opened for public passage on July 26.

“The streetlights started becoming non-functional one after the other within a week of the flyover’s inauguration. The flyover is too narrow for two-wheelers, cars and heavy truck vehicles to jostle for space,” said Aman Gupta (19), a second-year DU student who travels to and fro on his motorcycle from his residence in Noida’s sector 15 A.

The flyover is a part of the Public Works Department’s (PWD) larger project to decongest the existing six-lane UP link road by expanding it to eight lanes and the construction of a cycle track near Mayur Vihar in addition to three foot-over bridges for pedestrians.

Like always, the PWD says it was working on it. “The streetlights were temporary and are being replaced by permanent ones. The process will be completed by this month end,” said Rakesh Mishra, Chief Engineer, PWD.