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NH-8 gets four new underpasses
There’s good news for commuters using National Highway (NH) 8 to reach Jaipur. The travel time will soon come down to five hours.
There’s good news for commuters using National Highway (NH) 8 to reach Jaipur. The travel time will soon come down to five hours.
Commuters are often caught in jams due to the ongoing construction activity along the 225-km stretch. Now, the stretch is being widened from four to six lanes. Besides, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has opened four underpasses on NH-8, including one at Manesar.
The new underpasses are likely to reduce the average travel time, which has increased to six hours. The commercial operation of the stretch is scheduled to start by 2012-end.
Commuters have been facing massive jams due to diversions on the highway, where 47 flyovers, 36 pedestrian underpasses, 131 entry and exit ramps, nine cattle underpasses and three toll plazas are coming up.
NHAI officials said the underpass at Manesar has become operational informally. There is smooth vehicular flow on both the sides. The place witnessed massive jams as many industrial installations like Maruti Suzuki, Suzuki Powertrain and Honda Motorcycles & Scooters are located here.
Besides, an underpass at 184-km milestone near Shahjahanpur, two other underpasses — 20 km before Jaipur and 20 km after Manesar — have opened, they said.
However, motorists will continue facing detours as NHAI has extended the deadline of the R1,895-crore project from September 2011 to June 2012.
The National Highway Authority of India officials said, two 3-lane flyovers — one at Kotputli and another in Behror — would be opened next week.
“With this, commuters can look forward to less jams while driving on national highway 8. We will slowly start opening more underpasses and flyovers,” he said. To reduce travel time, many prefer a different route to reach Jaipur.
