6 more lanes open on ROB today
GHAZIABAD: It will be a big relief for thousands of commuters using the Delhi-meerut Expressway (DME) as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has decided to throw open six more lanes of the Chipiyana rail overbridge (ROB) for traffic on Tuesday, said officials.
Currently, the 16-lane rail overbridge near Lal Kuan, a major intersection in Ghaziabad, has only four lanes active, forcing commuters to brave long snarls during rush hours.
The rail overbridge is part of phase 2 (UP Gate to Dasna) of the DME that was thrown open for commuters in April this year.
According to official estimates,
the UP Gate-dasna stretch has movement of about 60,000 passenger car units per day.
“With the opening of six more lanes of the rail overbridge, the total constructed
lanes will be 10. But we will use two of these for completing the pending work. In all, the commuters will now get eight lanes with four each side. This will considerably reduce the traffic jams,” said Mudit Garg, project director, NHAI.
“We have completed the load tests and installation of signages for the new six lanes. The work for the remaining six lanes is likely to be completed by December this year,” Garg added.
The under-construction rail overbridge is a major roadblock for traffic under the 19.2km of DME’S phase 2.
“Whenever commuters get stuck in jams, they find ways down the DME to the side lanes. Many try to drive on the wrong side as well. The situation becomes worse during monsoon,” said Pradeep Kumar, a resident of Vijay Nagar.
The rail overbridge is located close to the border of Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar and witnesses heavy traffic of commercial vehicles.