Slip roads to ease traffic flow at City Centre crossing

NOIDA: Movement of traffic near the Noida City Centre crossing is set to get smoother. Noida Authority engineers have speeded up work on the underpass in the area. Come August 15, the two slip roads will be ready for commuters using Master Plan Road-III. The underpass is being constructed across Master Plan Road-III where the City Centre and Sector 35 meet.
According to officials, the first phase of the project will be completed by August 15."In this phase, the two 500 m slip roads will be opened, allowing vehicles to move to and from Master Plan Road-III. The crossing has been blocked since January," said M P Sharma, chief maintenance engineer (civil), Noida. "The slip roads will be a big relief for commuters who use the busy intersection daily," he said.
Sharma explained that one of the slip roads would provide access to motorists towards NTPC, the other towards Sector 35. As of %now, a diversion has been connecting NTPC and City Centre crossroads via a detour through Gijhod-Hoshiarpur, to bypass the construction site.
Also the right turn for traffic moving from the City Centre crossing towards sectors 50, 41 and 49 has been blocked. Commuters now need to travel to the next right turn at Kendriya Vihar, Sector 51, and make their way back. A temporary U-turn has also been created on the MP Road-III a few yards ahead of the intersection, that leads to the %Degree College and City Centre Metro station.
According to traffic officials, about 20,000 to 25,000 vehicles use the route every evening and nearly 1.5 lakh vehicles, including heavy ones, use the stretch daily. "This is one of the busiest stretches in the city," said an official. "Due care %has been taken to ensure that motorists face minimum hindrances during the construction of the underpass," he said.
Officials said construction work on the underpass would take place in phases. With the slip roads open, the construction of the underpass will move into its second phase. "This phase will take the underpass across sectors 39 and 51. The main arm of the underpass will be built in the third and final phase," Sharma explained.
At an estimated cost of Rs 50 crore, the underpass is expected to be ready by June 2015.