Road along Noida drain widened to decongest Sector 18

Noida authority has started widening the road along the Shahdara drain by around 400 metres. The move follows repeated complaints from residents and commuters over the perennial traffic jams near the Sector 18 commercial area.

Noida authority has started widening the road along the Shahdara drain by around 400 metres. The move follows repeated complaints from residents and commuters over the perennial traffic jams near the Sector 18 commercial area.

The road along Shahdara drain is being widened by around 400 metres to decongest the popular market.

The widening will provide adequate space for commuters moving from the expressway and Film City who want to take the left turn behind Mall of India. The road between Mall of India and Shahdara drain is narrow and the traffic situation turns chaotic during the weekends when visitors from across Delhi and the national capital region (NCR) come to the commercial hub for shopping.

“The road is being widened and hopefully, the work will be completed in the next few weeks. Widening of the bridge over the Shahdara drain is underway. This will resolve traffic situation in Sector 18 and in the next three to four months, the multi-level parking lot will also be completed,” SC Mishra, project engineer of Noida authority, said.

The traffic police and officials of the Noida authority have decided to close the exit in front of the exit gate of Mall of India that allows for a right turn.

“The right turn was closed because the road between Mall of India and Radisson Hotel is too narrow. The right turn is a traffic hazard. Now, commuters moving from the Sector 18 market side, wanting to take the right will have to travel for around 100 metres ahead to take a U-turn to reach Radisson,” Prabal Pratap Singh, superintendent of police (SP) for traffic, Gautam Budh Nagar, said.

Meanwhile, the traffic police have also asked Mall of India to deploy marshals to regulate traffic on roads surrounding the mall and open all entry and exit points of the mall for smoother traffic movement.

The road between Mall of India and Shahdara drain was used for parking cars by those visiting the mall and used to cause long snarls. Shop owners of the Sector 18 market had objected to the misuse of the road and were demanding action from the police.

“Noida authority and the traffic police ignored the parking situation in Sector 18 and the traffic plan completely. We are now hopeful that the situation will improve,” SK Jain, president of Sector 18 market association, said.