NOIDA: The Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) has given in-principle consent to build a Rs 60-crore underpass at Gaur Chowk to reduce the traffic burden and streamline movement of vehicles at one of the busiest intersections in the city.
The underpass will be built over the 60-metre road over the Taj Highway that connects Gaur City with Greater Noida. It will mostly be used by commuters travelling between Pratap Vihar (Ghaziabad), Surajpur (Gautam Budh Nagar) and Greater Noida city (Gautam Budh Nagar), officials said on Sunday.
According to a survey, more than 13,000 vehicles pass through this intersection – also called Kisan Chowk or Char Murti roundabout -- daily. There are two long U-turns to modulate traffic but jams are an everyday-occurrence during rush hours.
“The length of this underpass will be around 700 meters. A detailed project report is being prepared along with its design. Subsequently, it will be sent to an IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) for recommendations and after that, the tender process will start,” said AK Arora, general manager, Greater Noida Authority.
Officials are planning to get the tender out in the next three months and the project is expected to take two years to complete after the construction begins.
A survey to reduce traffic pressure in the area was given to the advisory agency Rail India Technical and Economic Service Limited (RITES) a few months back. The underpass was decided on the basis of the agency’s recommendations.
Residents in the area welcomed the decision. “The roundabout is a traffic nightmare. It takes hours to cross a 1km-stretch during peak hours. The underpass will definitely ease the pressure on the intersection,” said Ravi Tiwari, former president of Palm Olympia society located near Gaur Chowk.
