Project to decongest Lucknow taking shape

Kukrail flyover, service lane of outer ring road to be operational by Dec 25

LUCKNOW: The 104-km concrete band around Lucknow, in the form of the outer ring road, is finally beginning to take shape with its service lane stretch between Kursi Road and Faizabad Road and the flyover over Kukrail canal all set to become operational on December 25.

“We intend to have another 27-km link between Faizabad and Sultanpur Road and the bridges functional by February 2019,” said Diwakar Tripathi, a former bureaucrat and officer on special duty to Lucknow MP and Union home minister Rajnath Singh.

The 104-km project to decongest Lucknow has been planned as a joint venture between the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the UP PWD.

With the opening of service lane, all Sultanpur-bound highway traffic would be diverted from Itaunja on Sitapur Road and would no longer have to pass through the city, said Tripathi.

“Similarly, the Kukrail flyover would also act as an alternative route and go a long way in decongesting traffic on the city’s inner roads,” he said.

While the NHAI has been tasked to build 94-km stretch, the PWD has been tasked to develop the remaining 11-km part of the outer ring road.

“One of the challenges before us was the huge amount of earth-filling (approximately 20-30 lakh cubic metre) required to raise the level of the ring road, which would be an access-controlled highway. But that problem has now been sorted out as the state government has now allowed us to dig up the soil of the unused and defunct ponds,” said Tripathi.

He said work in the stretch between Sitapur Road-AgraLucknow Expressway was also on at a brisk pace.

Union home minister Rajnath Singh, who represents Lucknow Lok Sabha, had set a three-year completion deadline when he had inspected work in January this year.

The ring road will connect five national highways, six state highways and 104 villages to the state capital. It will also link Rae Bareli Road, Sultanpur Road, and Kanpur Road and Lucknow-Agra Expressway on the outskirts of the city.

The project envisages construction of four big overbridges, 42 small over-bridges, five railway over-bridges, eight flyovers, 26 underpasses for vehicles, three underpasses for pedestrians, and two interchange roads.

Initially, the proposed length of the outer ring road was 188 km. But with the land compensation prices being revised several-fold under the new land acquisition Act, the length was pruned to 104 km.

While the land for the 80-km stretch would be acquired by the centre, the remaining 24 km would be provided by the UP government.

Once ready, the outer ring road is expected to reduce congestion and accelerate urban growth by offering an alternate transport route connecting the periphery of the city.

THE LAND FOR THE 80-KM STRETCH WOULD BE ACQUIRED BY THE CENTRE, THE REMAINING 24 KM WOULD BE PROVIDED BY THE UP GOVERNMENT