Four more lanes for Kalindi Kunj bridge (Times of India 26 February 2011)

Noida: The New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (NOIDA) is planning to widen the Kalindi Kunj bridge by adding four lanes to deal with the increased volume of traffic going towards Delhi or Noida.It will take about one and a half years to broaden the existing bridge also known as the Okhla Barrage after the NOIDA board approves a detailed project report and bids are called for building the extension to the narrow bridge. The NOIDA board has agreed in principal to widen the bridge.NOIDA chairman,Mohinder Singh,told mediapersons on Friday evening,The work related to the project will begin in earnest.After the technical design is approved and the bids are invited,it should not take more than one and a half years to complete the project.
A Noida traffic police official said,The bridge was built in the early 80s.At that time only about 10,000 vehicles used to pass over it daily.It was built to connect the traffic coming from Mathura Road in Delhi to Noida.The barrage would keep the flow of the Yamuna in control and check floods.Nowadays,about 70,000 vehicles pass over the bridge daily.The figure was close to 20,000 about a decade ago. The officer added,The daily traffic is poised to cross the onelakh mark in the next few years,which is about the same as the volume of traffic on the Delhi Noida Direct Flyway.The colonies sprouting up along the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway are mainly responsible for the increase in the traffic on the bridge. Sources in NOIDA said it would take about two to three months to complete the research on the bridge before bids can be invited for the expansion.
In its board meeting on Friday,NOIDA also passed a detailed proposal on the security,surveillance and e-governance system being set up in Noida.According to a report by Ernst and Young and Rail India Technical and Economic Services,the implementation and commissioning of the system will take 18 months.The company setting up the system will take care of the operation and maintenance of the system for seven years.The cost of commissioning of the system is expected to be between Rs 380 crore and Rs 400 crore.
lalit.kumar@timesgroup.com