NH-24 underpass connecting Noida with Indirapuram to open on Oct 28

Once completed, the NH24 underpass project will benefit over 1,00,000 commuters who use the stretch daily.

The Noida authority on Thursday said the Model Town underpass on national highway (NH) 24 connecting Indirapuram with Noida sector 62 and 63 will be opened for motorists on October 28. Officials said the authority has completed 100% of the civil work on the structure of the underpass and it is being given final touches.

The authority aims to open the underpass, under construction for over two years, before Diwali. (Ishwar Chand/HT Photo)

“We are busy completing remaining work such as painting of walls, blacktopping and flooring. All major work related with structure and concretising is already completed. We have also conducted an inspection of the underpass,” said PK Garg, project engineer, Noida authority.

The underpass, being constructed at an estimated cost of Rs. 112 crore, is located between sectors 62 and 63, and falls perpendicular to NH24 near the Model Town police post.

It is aimed at decongesting the busy Model Town intersection where long traffic snarls take place throughout the day. It will also ease traffic congestion in Noida’s sectors 62 and 63 areas and Indirapuram in Ghaziabad.

“We hope to begin the trial from October 25 because we want to provide relief to commuters. We have fixed the date of trial and opening so that our staff works hard to meet the deadlines,” said Garg.

The Noida authority had in May 2012 approved a proposal to build the underpass at NH24. However, work started only on April 1, 2014.

“Once the underpass is opened, it will streamline traffic movement and offer a smooth ride to thousands of commuters from Noida, Ghaziabad and Delhi,” said another official of the Noida authority.

The authority has constructed four clover leaves — two on either side of the national highway — to avoid traffic jams on NH24. Vehicles from Delhi will enter Noida through a loop road, bypassing the highway, vehicles going towards Indirapuram and Vasundhara will not have to use the highway either. The plan is to have cloverleaf loops on all sides leading to and from NH24.

According to officials, once completed, the project will benefit over 1,00,000 commuters who use the stretch daily.

“Since the construction was started at the site on April 1, 2014, the authority and traffic police have diverted the traffic on Road No.6 and internal roads of sectors 62 and 63. It takes me an hour and sometimes even more to cross NH24 through Noida’s internal roads during peak hours. I hope it will come to an end once the underpass is opened,” said Thyag Raj, an Indirapuram resident whose office is situated in Noida’s Sector 63.