Union Minister Nitin Gadkari lays foundation stone for corridor from Akshardham to EPE

NEW DELHI: The work on six-lane 'access controlled corridor' with service roads on both sides starting from Akshardham Mandir to Loni at Delhi-Uttar Pradesh (UP) border is expected to begin soon with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highway initiating the tendering process for the project.

The corridor is part of the Union Transport Ministry's ambitious project - the 15-km corridor between Akshardham in Delhi and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh. The road declared as NH-709B aims to provide seamless connectivity between the two cities and will also decongest parts of northeast Delhi.

In a project status update sent to northeast Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari and Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said that the development of the stretch is being taken up on 'priority basis'. "The bids for the development of Akshardham-GeetaColony-Shastri Park-Khajuri Khas-Delhi-UP border section have already been invited and likely to be received by September 30," said the letter.

The Rs 4,900 crore project is divided into four sections -  Akshardham to Khajuri Khas (UP border), Khauri Khas (UP border) to Mandola-Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) intersection, EPE intersection to Shamli Bypass and Shamli Bypass to Saharanpur Bypass.

The cost of the 14.75 km long portion including seven km elevated stretch falling in Delhi is Rs 1,375.56 crore. The link will not only reduce travel time to western Uttar Pradesh districts but will also ease traffic flow in northeast Delhi areas such as Pushta Road, New Usmanpur, Sonia Vihar Extension, Khajuri Khas, West Karawal Nagar and Bhajanpura.

The road alignment has been planned along Noida Link road and Marginal Bund Road (Pushta Road) in Delhi and Baghpat Road in Uttar Pradesh. In UP, it will pass through Ankur Vihar, Welcome city and Indrapuri before ending at Pooja Pusta Police Chowki in Loni. Gadkari laid the foundation stone for the corridor in 2019.

Tiwari had sought the minister's intervention to realign the proposed road, which was originally planned to connect Wazirabad to Baghpat. "Northeast Delhi was deprived of development for a long time. No government ever thought about the sufferings of residents and commuters. The corridor will end traffic jams in the region, which further will help in reducing air pollution in the city," Tiwari said.