4.4-Km Elevated Highway Between Delhi And Faridabad To Be Opened On Monday, Will Reduce Travel Time To 10 Mins
Dipak Kumar Dash | TNN
New Delhi: Those who regularly commute between Delhi and Faridabad will be able to make multiple trips daily on the 4.4-km elevated flyway without having to pay the full toll amount each time, unlike on Delhi-Gurgaon expressway. For one trip a car will be charged Rs 20 while for multiple trips in a day, it will have to pay only Rs 10 more.
The elevated road is all set to become fully operational from Monday. It has been completed one month ahead of the scheduled deadline fixed by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). ‘‘The Badarpur crossing will now become signal-free and this single project will push the economic activities and growth of Faridabad,’’ said Sandeep Sawant, spokesperson of Hindustan Construction Company Ltd (HCC), the private concessionaire of the infrastructure project.
Till now, Badarpur crossing has been perhaps the most congested point in the city and commuters had to spend over 45 minutes to cross the stretch. Now the drive will take only about 10 minutes.
The choked intersection was considered the only roadblock preventing Faridabad from developing on the lines of Gurgaon, which has emerged as the financial capital of Haryana. Successive intersections at close intervals between Badarpur crossing and Faridabad had aggravated the traffic problem on this stretch for decades.
The elevated road sections at present have a 4/6 lane carriageway with flexible pavement and service roads on either side at intermittent locations. ‘‘It was a big challenge to complete the project in less than 24 months, as projects of this size need 36 months. The stretch was congested round the clock. We adopted advanced construction methodology to complete it ahead of schedule,’’ the company spokesman claimed.
The elevated road will not be accessible to two and three wheelers or any other slow-moving vehicles. ‘‘We have already placed signages barring these vehicles to enter the elevated portion. Traffic marshals will be deployed to stop them,’’ said a HCC official.
Commuters will have multiple options for paying user charge at the toll plazas. ‘‘Besides paying in cash, commuters can go for the On Board Unit (OBU)/tag or smart cards which can be recharged in advance. Vehicles without the device will not be allowed to use the ‘tag only’ lanes. Moreover, we have monthly pass provisions and discount for multiple trips in a day only for passenger cars,’’ said an HCC official.
Similarly, commuters can also opt for flexi passes, which can be used both by private as well as commercial vehicles. Monthly passes need to be recharged within 30 days while flexi passes will have unlimited validity.