Huge vehicles stuck under foot bridge, GT Road being dug up

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) contractors reportedly constructed a foot overbridge that was not high enough to afford clearance to large vehicles using the stretch.

A faux pas in construction by the contractors of the Delhi Metro has resulted in undue hassle for motorists using the Grand Trunk Road, near the upcoming river Hindon Metro station on the soon-to-be complete 9.41km Metro line in Ghaziabad.

Contractors of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation are resorting to digging up the main GT Road outside river Hindon metro station to make more height available for passing bigger commercial vehicles, in Ghaziabad, India on Friday (Sakib Ali/ HT Photo)

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) contractors reportedly constructed a foot overbridge that was not high enough to afford clearance to large vehicles using the stretch.The result: the contractors are now busy digging up the portion of the road just below the foot overbridge so that all heavy vehicles are able to pass under the structure.

On the other hand, the sources in the DMRC said the issue cropped up due to the irregular road level on both sides, and claimed therefore that the recarpeting and restoration of the road up to a 300 mm (0.3m) depth was being taken up. The DMRC is also trying to maintain a 5.5 metre vertical clearance besides providing for proper drainage and sloping.

However, staff at the site contradicted the DMRC sources, and said they were digging till a maximum depth of two feet (0.6m).

The 9.41km Metro line has eight stations on the elevated corridor and foot overbridges (FOB) are in the process of being constructed. At the river Hindon Metro station, the DMRC has constructed a FOB that starts from the station and takes passengers to the other side of the GT Road near Sai Upvan.

During a visit by an HT team on Friday, staff at the site said the vertical clearance from the road surface to the FOB was is around 5.3 metres and the road is getting dug up by about two-three feet to create additional vertical space for larger commercial vehicles to ply. They added that about a 150-metre-stretch will be dug up in a similar manner.

They added that a part of the stretch has already been dug up, while more parts will be dug up soon. The road belongs to the public works department (PWD) officials of which have objected to the digging.

“The DMRC has acquired a no-objection certificate from the PWD for the metro project. However the DMRC is altering the structure of the road, and has not taken any clearance for this. We have written to the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) as well as the DMRC about the issue. Instead of digging the road, there should have been prior provision to deal with the issue,” Manish Verma, executive engineer, PWD, said.

According to PWD officials, the digging of the road may cause water logging during the monsoons and might hamper vehicular-speeds. They estimate that the stretch, with four lanes on each side, bears a traffic of nearly 80,000 passenger cars per day.

Experts from the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) said the minimum vertical clearance desirable between the road and the foot over bridge should be 5.5 metres.

“The 5.5 metre clearance is a minimum and is desirable for the passage of bigger vehicles. This is as per the Indian Road Congress’ norms,” the CRRI officer said, who did not want to be named.

“The issue cropped up as there a difference in the levels between the two sides of the road, while the FOB structure is perfectly balanced. So, the clearance is low on one side, which necessitates the digging of the road. There was no alternative. The floods during monsoon will have to be taken care of. Water can be channelised to a nearby drain,” VN Singh, chief engineer, GDA, said.

The GDA is the nodal agency for the 9.41km Metro project.