A signal-free drive to Taj in 3 years

[RajaRC]

30 Nov, 2010, 03.12AM IST, Dipak Kumar Dash,TNN
A signal-free drive to Taj in 3 years

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/A-signal-free-drive-to-Taj-in-3-years/articleshow/7012556.cms

NEW DELHI: The drive to Taj Mahal through NH 2 will become faster and
nearly signal-free in the next three years. NHAI plans to build
flyovers or underpasses at all traffic intersections on the route,
including one at Ashram Chowk in the capital, and a major private
developer will start work on widening of the NH-2 between Badarpur and
Agra.

These plans were unveiled during the inauguration of the 4.4km
Badarpur elevated road on Monday, which is expected to reduce the
Delhi-Faridabad commute time by up to 40 minutes. While the stretch
had informally opened a week back, tolling began after the
inauguration. The toll rates are Rs 20 for one-way drive and Rs 30 for
multiple entries within 24 hours.

Transport and highways minister Kamal Nath said NHAI will soon
complete a study on the Ashram-Badarpur stretch of NH-2. The opening
of the elevated road at one of the most congested crossings in the
city — the Badarpur intersection, has paved the way for other crowded
junctions on NH-2 in Faridabad to get a similar treatment.

In a written reply in Lok Sabha, minister of state for highways, RPN
Singh, had submitted that 31 flyovers and underpasses will be
constructed on the Delhi-Agra section of this national highway. Six 6-
lane flyovers and another underpass, also 6-laned, will be constructed
at the sector-59 crossing.

''We hope to start work on this stretch from January. We will create
sufficient additional space so that regular commuters don't face any
bottlenecks while the construction is carried out,'' said Sudhir
Hoshing, senior vice-president of Reliance Infrastructure Ltd.

At present, these intersections witness major snarls during peak hours
and also during the night when there is heavy movement of trucks on
the highway. The construction of flyovers will not only ensure
uninterrupted movement of traffic heading towards Agra, but will also
reduce the waiting time for vehicles heading for different sectors in
Faridabad. Reliance has got the NHAI project and has already achieved
financial closure.

According to the reply in Parliament, all flyovers and underpasses on
this 180-km stretch will be 6-lane structures, barring only one, in
Agra, which will have four lanes. Once the project is completed, it
will take just two hours to reach Agra from the capital as the maximum
design speed on this stretch will be 100kmph. ''The opening of the
Badarpur elevated road has already brought huge relief to daily
commuters,'' said an NHAI official.

Reliance officials claimed that the traffic situation on this stretch
will not be as bad as that witnessed on the Gurgaon-Jaipur corridor
where traffic flow is much more compared to NH-2. The BOT project
takes off from Delhi-Faridabad border and goes through Agra and
Mathura districts in UP and Faridabad in Haryana.

Experts feel the series of flyovers will drastically change the
economy of these areas. ''You'll see the skyline change. New and
swanky buildings will soon come up in these areas,'' said an NHAI
official.