Authority forms high-level committee to revive elevated road, bypass projects in city

The Noida authority has formed a high-level committee to expedite its elevated road and underpass projects. HT reports.

The Noida authority has formed a high-level committee to expedite its elevated road and underpass projects.

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It may also revive five elevated road projects, which were shelved last year by the former chief executive officer (CEO) of authority, Sanjeev Saran, who reasoned that making roads signal-free through construction of underpasses was more economical than building elevated roads.

The present CEO, Rama Raman, has set up the committee, which will review these elevated road projects. The high-level committee is headed by additional CEO Pramod Kumar Agarwal.

"The committee, which will have its meetings twice a month on Mondays, will review DPRs of two elevated roads and underpasses projects. The committee will review the sequence of the underpass and elevated road projects to ensure that the projects can take off at the right time," said AK Goyal, the chief maintenance engineer of the Noida authority.

The authority, during the rule of the BSP government, had planned to construct six elevated roads so that vehicles could travel without facing any traffic light. But, after the SP came to power in the state, the authority has decided not to work on the old elevated road projects.

"But if the elevated road works better, we may work on that. The committee will first review the old plans and DPRs," said another NDA official.

The authority has already prepared the detailed project reports (DPR) for two of the elevated road projects - from Vishwa Bharti School (Sector 28) to Shopprix Mall (Sector 61) and from DM residence (Sector 27) to Spice Mall (Sector 25A). Indian Institute of Tecghnology (IIT) Delhi had carried out a study and given its green signal to one of the elevated road projects.

Meanwhile, local residents believe that the city's traffic problems may end if the authority speeds up the work to make the roads signal-free. The superintendent of police (traffic) is also a member of this committee.

"The committee will decide as to which project should be prioritised - underpass or elevated road. We should work according to the traffic projections. This committee will prioritise things and set an agenda in the next couple of months," said Goyal.