Underpass at Greater Noida’s Kisan Chowk set to decongest intersection

The Greater Noida authority will build an underpass at Kisan Chowk to decongest the city’s busiest traffic intersection.

The underpass will provide smooth connectivity between Noida and Greater Noida and will benefit thousands of commuters going towards Ghaziabad and other nearby cities.

The Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), which conducted a survey of the Kisan Chowk traffic junction, suggested the construction of an underpass here, where a 130-metre wide road merges with a 60-metre wide road, connecting Surajpur with Ghaziabad towards the Delhi-Meerut Expressway (DME).

According to the CRRI, at least 13,000 vehicles use the Kisan Chowk traffic intersection on a daily basis and it is the busiest stretch in the Greater Noida (West) area. Interestingly, the area is also a hub of affordable housing complexes with at least 4.5 lakh flats, said officials of the Greater Noida authority.

As of now, only 30% of these housing units are occupied and once the occupancy level rises, the traffic will increase manifold, requiring the construction of the underpass, added officials.

The Greater Noida authority chief executive officer (CEO) Narendra Bhooshan has already sanctioned ₹60 crore budget for the project and directed the staff to start work after completing all required procedures.

“We will prepare a detailed project report and finalise tender documents in the next three months. Once the formalities are completed, we will issue the tendering process and hire an agency to construct the underpass,” said AK Arora, general manager, Greater Noida authority.

The authority will get the technical and financial vetting of the detailed project report (DPR) from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, before floating the tender.

The work on the underpass is expected to begin in the next five to six months, said authority officials.

“The underpass will be ready for public use in about two years from the day the work begins at the site. We have already initiated the DPR work,” said Arora.

The 700-metre long underpass will be built on the 60- metre wide road that connects Greater Noida’s Surajpur with Ghaziabad. It will enable commuters travelling from Ghaziabad and Greater Noida’s pockets to travel seamlessly and once the underpass is built, the 130-metre wide road which connects Greater Noida (West) with Noida will also offer a smooth ride at the Kisan Chowk intersection without the hassle that commuters face now.

“We have made u-turns on the 130-metre and 60-metre roads for better traffic management. The commuters have to travel a bit more because of the u-turns. But once the underpass is built people, the u-turns will go and commuters will have a seamless experience,” said an official from the Greater Noida authority, requesting anonymity.

Residents in Greater Noida (West) face traffic issues daily and the condition becomes worse during peak office hours.

“The underpass will definitely address the traffic congestion issue at Kisan Chowk but there is a need to better the traffic management in the entire Greater Noida (West) area on an urgent basis. We hope that an integrated traffic management plan is made for better commuting experience in the city,” said Manish Arihant, senior vice-president of the Noida Extension Flat Owners Welfare Association (NEFOWA), a residents’ body.

Ganesh Saha, deputy commissioner of police, (traffic) Gautam Budh Nagar said, “We keep addressing traffic- related complaints appropriately in the entire district, including Greater Noida (West) and also engage the authority as and when needed. The underpass will certainly benefit commuters and we are ready to address other issues related to traffic congestion in the area.”