Faridabad-Ghaziabad e-way to be made a highway across NCR cities

The non-operational 43-km FNG Expressway will be converted into a national highway project.

The Noida authority on Saturday said that the National highway authority of India (NHAI) has started preparing a detailed project report (DPR) for the new 75-km national highway passing through Noida, Ghaziabad, Faridabad and Gurgaon.

The detailed project report is likely to be ready by the end of 2016 and work is expected to begin in the beginning of 2017. (Burhaan Kinu /HT Photo)

The Union ministry of road transport and highways had in October 2015 decided to convert the non-operational 43-km Faridabad-Noida-Ghaziabad (FNG) Expressway falling in two states – Uttar Pradesh and Haryana (part of National Capital Region) – into a national highway project. NHAI will extend the part that falls in Haryana and develop it as the 75-km national highway.

The Noida authority has completed 70% of the work on the 17-km stretch of FNG Expressway that falls in Noida. However, work on the whole of the expressway, which was conceived in 1989, remained disrupted for many years due to various reasons, including court cases.

“The UP government has already given a no objection certificate (NOC) for the project. The NHAI communicated to us that they have started preparing the DPR of the 75-km national highway. Once ready, the highway will provide seamless connectivity to Noida, Ghaziabad, Faridabad and Gurgaon. Motorists travelling from UP to Haryana and vice-versa will not have to enter Delhi,” said AK Goyal, chief project engineer (CPE), Noida authority.

According to officials, the DPR is likely to be ready by the end of 2016 and work is expected to begin on the ground in the beginning of 2017.

As per the DPR of the FNG Expressway, it was to connect NH-58 (in Ghaziabad) with Palwal (Faridabad) in Haryana. However, as per new plan the 75-km national highway will connect NH-58 with Sohna in Gurgaon.

The national highway project is to benefit more than 2.2 lakh vehicles and will be an alternative route for people from Meerut, Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida, Gurgaon, and Hapur who wish to go to Faridabad and Agra. It is supposed to cut travel time from two hours to 40 minutes and ease traffic pressure on the areas of NH-24, NH-58 and NH-2 that fall in the Delhi region. At present, commuters coming from Ghaziabad, Meerut and Hapur take these roads to reach Faridabad and Agra.

As of now, Noida, Ghaziabad and Greater Noida are connected to Faridabad through the densely populated areas of NH-24 and NH-2. As a result, not only Noida or Ghaziabad, but also Delhi’s Ring Road witnesses a heavy traffic volume.