As the Noida Airport gears up for its grand opening by 2024-end, the Yamuna Expressway authority has given its go-ahead for widening of the Yamuna Expressway into an 8-lane highway. The move is targeted to increase the traffic handling capacity of the expressway, which is currently a 6-land development.
To make this happen, Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (Yeida) on January 10, 2023, directed Jaypee Infratech Limited (JIL) to prepare a detailed project report and submit it by 3 to 4 months.
Running between Noida and Agra, the 165-km highway is one of the busiest highways in India.
“According to the concessionaire agreement, the toll operator has an obligation to widen the 6-lane-wide expressway to 8 lanes because the number of commuters has increased to 32,000 per day. When we realised that daily commuters have increased to 32,000, we told JIL to widen the expressway,” Yeida CEO Arun Vir Singh said.
“Once the DPR is submitted, it will be approved so that work can begin. Our aim is to finish the eight-lane expressway within a year,” he added.
To improve road safety, Yeida has also directed JIL to increase the height of the side median so that vehicles do not fall off the road causing accidents. According to the Indian Road Congress, the height of the side median barrier should be 2.78 metre. In case of the Yamuna Expressway, the height is only half a metre.
In December 2022, Yeida decided to reduce the speed limit on the expressway from 100kmph to 80kmph for light vehicles and from 80kmph to 60kmph for heavy vehicles to prevent road accidents in the winter fog. The reduced speed limit came into effect from December 15, 2022, and will continue till February 15, 2023.
