NTPC underpass in Noida to be opened to public on October 2

The work on the project was held up owing to the delay in shifting utility services that were passing through the land earmarked for the project.

The underpass at the busy traffic intersection near the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) in Sector 24-32 , which had been delayed by nearly two years, will be opened to public on October 2, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti.

The under-construction NTPC underpass in Noida is scheduled to be opened to public on October 2 this year after a two year delay. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)

The work on the project was held up owing to the delay in shifting utility services that were passing through the land earmarked for the project. The authority started work on the underpass on June 30, 2015, with a deadline of 2016-end.

The underpass has been built at a cost of Rs 55.55 crore. It is 640 metres long and is at the intersection of Sector 24, 25A, 32 and 33A. The intersection, popularly known as NTPC Chowk, is used by thousands of motorists daily. The authority has diverted the traffic at this intersection since the work started in 2015

Noida authority chief executive officer Alok Tandon, along with other officials, on Tuesday inspected the underpass site and directed the staff to complete the work by the end of September. Tandon also inspected the Sector 71 Metro station, which is the first station on 29.71 km Noida-Greater Noida Metro link, which is expected to open by October this year.

“As per the instructions of the CEO, we will complete the work on the NTPC underpass by September-end. It will be opened to motorists on October 2. The project is almost ready and we are giving it final touches,” Rajiv Tyagi, general manager, Noida authority, said.

The authority had earlier planned to do the tiling work on the pillars and walls of the underpass.

“Now, instead of the tiling work, we will plaster the walls and pillars and create artistic designs on them so that the entire structure is more pleasing to the eye. We are about to rope in an artist for the job. We aim to finish the plastering and painting work by September,” Tyagi said.

Once this underpass is opened, motorists will find relief from the constant snarls at the NTPC intersection. It will ease congestion on the stretch that connects Sector 21 (Noida Stadium)/Sector 22 with Dadri-Surajpur-Chhalera (DSC) Road. The stretch will become signal-free as the City Centre intersection already had an underpass.