Ghaziabad: 30km of Meerut Road to be widened

The project plan has been sent by the officials of the public works department (PWD) to their headquarters, from where it will be sent to the state government for a final approval.

The district officials on Saturday have sent a proposal of ₹208 crore to widen the erstwhile NH-58, which is now the Meerut Road, from four lanes to six lanes to facilitate better traffic movement.

According to officials, the plan involves widening the road to include two additional lanes on a 30.35km stretch, from Meerut crossing to Modinagar-Meerut border. (Sakib Ali/HT File)

The project plan has been sent by the officials of the public works department (PWD) to their headquarters, from where it will be sent to the state government for a final approval.

According to officials, the plan involves widening the road to include two additional lanes on a 30.35km stretch, from Meerut crossing to Modinagar-Meerut border.

The road caters to nearly 90,000 cars a day and is extensively used by those heading from Meerut and Uttarakhand to Delhi.

“The plan is proposed in phases. In one of the phases, we will be strengthening the major road from UP Gate to Duhai. Since the regional rapid transit system is proposed along this road, the agency selected for executing the project has decided to add one lane on each side,” Manish Verma, executive engineer, PWD, said.

“So, the additional lanes on this stretch will mean the road will be widened to have six lanes,” Verma said.

In the second phase of the project, a 21km stretch from Duhai to Modinagar-Meerut border will be widened, officials said. The tentative cost of the project at present is pegged at ₹208 crore but it is expected to increase.

“The PWD will take up strengthening and widening of the 21km stretch. The entire project is expected to be completed in one year and has been initiated through the efforts of Ghaziabad MP General (retired) VK Singh. The project cost is also expected to increase once the electricity department gives us the details of shifting of its utilities from the road,” Verma said.

The road was earlier National Highway 58 and was denotified in 2016. Since then, it is under the jurisdiction of the PWD. Traffic bottlenecks are seen on this stretch at major intersections such as Raj Nagar Extension and Modi Nagar, among others.

The PWD has also started on a signal-free plan at Raj Nagar Extension, which will be put in place once the utility shifting takes place. The road is also a connecting point to the newly constructed Hindon elevated road, which is completed and is to be inaugurated by chief minister Yogi Adityanath.