The construction of the first phase of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, starting from East Delhi’s Ghazipur to South Delhi’s Nizamuddin, is likely to be completed by March 15. But what's most interesting about this is that this stretch will be adorned by replicas of historical monuments, such as the Qutub Minar and the Ashok Chakra.
Murals and artificial fountains will also be built to beautify the stretch. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has already made plans to beautify the bridge, flyovers and underpasses on the stretch. Delhi Breaking News
“Until now only the replica of Qutub Minar has been placed. However, we shall place many other replicas of different monuments from across the country,” said an NHAI official.
NHAI has informed City Spidey that the first phase of this 14-lane highway project will be completed by March 15. “We were allotted a time frame of 30 months. However, we are completing construction in just 15 months,” said BS Singhla, a senior official of NHAI who is supervising the Expressway project.
He elaborated, “We are simultaneously working on a solar panel project [of 2000 KW], which will supply power for the LED lights along the highway. A fountain is also being constructed near the bridge on the expressway stretch. Different species of flowers will be planted in the vacant spaces between the lanes. These plants will be watered through drip irrigation, a system that ensures direct water supply to the roots.”
The NHAI has also planned a beautification drive for all the underpasses and foot-overbridges on the stretch.
“There are four flyovers on the stretch — the Akshardham flyover, the Pandav Nagar flyover, the Max Hospital flyover in IP Extension and the Ghazipur flyover. The walls of these flyovers and underpasses will be decorated with paintings. Artists will be invited to paint on themes such as happiness, cleanliness, cultural and patriotism,” Singhla added.
The Delhi-Meerut Expressway is being constructed in four phases. “We are aiming to complete the whole project by 2020,” Singhla stated.
Once complete, this expressway will enable commuters to travel between Delhi and Meerut in 45 minutes. This is a considerable reduction, as at present the commuting time between Delhi and Meerut is four hours.
