PM Modi to inaugurate Eastern Peripheral Expressway, Delhi-Meerut Expressway Ph-I

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be inaugurating two newly built expressways in the Delhi NCR Region on Sunday. The first project is phase I of the  Delhi-Meerut Expressway, stretching from Nizammudin Bridge to Delhi UP Border. Once the entire project is complete, it will take just 60 minutes to travel from Delhi to Meerut - it takes hours currently. Second project is the Eastern Peripheral Expressway stretching from Kundli on NH 1 to Palwal on NH 2, which is also the first expressway in the country that will use solar power on the entire length of 135 km.

Know all about of these two projects here.

Phase Iof the  Delhi-Meerut Expressway

This 8.360 kms stretch of National Highway  has been completed in a record time of 18 months as against the earlier expected construction period of 30 months, at a cost of about  Rs 841.50 crore .

It includes a 6-lane Expressway and 4+4 Service lanes, i.e. 14-lane facility from Nizamuddin Bridge in Delhi to UP Border. This is the first National Highway in the country with 14 lanes, and has several features that would help reduce pollution.

These include a 2.5-metre-wide cycle track on either side of the highway, a vertical garden on the Yamuna Bridge, solar lighting system and watering of plants through drip irrigation only.

The Delhi- Meerut Expressway  project aims to provide faster and safer connectivity between Delhi and Meerut  and beyond this, with Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

The total length of the project is 82 km, of which the first 27.74 kms will be  14-laned, while the rest will be a 6-lane expressway. The project is likely to cost Rs 4975.17 crore.

This will be the first expressway to have dedicated bicycle tracks on the nearly 28 km stretch between Delhi and Dasna.

The project involves construction of 11 flyovers/interchanges, 5 major and 24 minor bridges, 3 ROBs (rail over bridges), 36 vehicular and 14 pedestrian underpasses.

Eastern Peripheral Expressway

The Peripheral Expressways project around Delhi, comprising Western Peripheral Expressway (WPE) and Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE), connecting NH-1 and NH-2 from Western and Eastern side of Delhi, has been envisaged with the twin objectives of decongesting and de-polluting the national capital by diverting the traffic not destined for Delhi.

A total of 1700 Hectares of land has been acquired for the EPE at a cost of about Rs. 5900 crore. The construction cost of the project is about Rs 4617.87 crore. The expressway has been completed in a record time of about 500 days against the scheduled target of 910 days.

It is a fully access-controlled six-lane expressway. Entry and exit on the expressway is through designated interchanges only. The Expressway has 4 major bridges, 46 minor bridges, 3 flyovers, 7 inter-changes, 221 underpasses, 8 ROBs, and 114 culverts. This project has generated 50 lakh man-days worth employment opportunities.

The EPE has a closed tolling system in which toll will be collected only for the distance travelled and not for the entire length. Toll plazas will be equipped with Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system for faster toll collection and uninterrupted travel experience. Weigh-in-Motion (WIMs) equipment has been installed at all 30 entry points of the Expressway to stop entry of over-loaded vehicles.

EPE has an iconic toll plaza 170 feet high, with 154 feet wing on either side. It will house the ITS control system of the entire EPE. Under the toll plaza there is a digital art gallery with holographic models of major structures and making of the EPE.

There are eight solar power plants on this Expressway, with a capacity of 4000 KW (4 megawatt) for lighting of the underpasses and running solar pumps for watering plants. Rainwater harvesting has been provided at every 500 meters on the EPE and there is drip irrigation for plants all along the expressway.