New Year gift: Rs 756-crore elevated highway to be ready by Jan 26

Tribune News Service

Nitin Jain

Ludhiana, January 2

In a New Year gift to local residents, the construction of much-awaited partially-access controlled four-lane elevated highway corridor in Ludhiana would finally be completed in all respects by January 26, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has said.

With all other three stretches already opened for traffic in phases last year, the only remaining portion of the much-delayed project has reached an advanced stage of completion and will be made operational on Republic Day, officials have claimed.

With the opening of a 2-km-long stretch from Verka Milk Plant to Jagraon Bridge (near Durga Mata Mandir) on November 12 last, three lanes of Rs 756.27-crore elevated highway have already been put to use so far.

While the 7.4-km first span of the big ticket project had been opened in October last, vehicular movement on the remaining 5.55-km stretch of the entire 12.95-km-long highway will be allowed by January 26, the officials have revealed.

The development assumes significance as the work on one of the busiest arteries of the Maximum City has missed five deadlines of completion in April 2020, June 30, July 31, September 30 and December 31, 2023.

Started in October 2017, the construction of the elevated highway between the busy Samrala Chowk and Ludhiana municipal limits on the National Highway-95 is now scheduled to complete in all respects by next month.

Rajya Sabha MP from Ludhiana Sanjeev Arora, who reviewed the progress of the project here recently, told The Tribune, on Tuesday, that major part of the project had been completed with over 99 per cent overall completion so far while the work to finish the remaining work had been further expedited to ensure early completion.

He divulged that the 7.4-km three spans of the elevated highway from Bhaiwal Chowk to the MC limits, Verka Milk Plant to Jagraon Bridge (near Durga Mata Mandir), and its opposite side from Bhaiwal Chowk to Bharat Nagar Chowk (railway station side), were already opened for traffic so far while the remaining fourth span towards the ISBT side would be thrown open by January 26.

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) member in the Upper House of Parliament from Punjab was apprised that all finishing touches were being given to the remaining portions of the elevated road.

Further, Arora was apprised that a 1-km stretch from Bharat Nagar Chowk to the ISBT would also be connected this month. More than 90 per cent work on the stretch towards the bus stand had been completed so far.

NHAI officials said girders had been launched at Bharat Nagar Chowk and the slab work had also been done in four spans. “Once the elevated highway from the ISBT is completed, it will stand connected to Samrala Chowk,” they told the MP.

Arora said the local residents, especially commuters, will get a sigh of relief after the project was fully completed in the coming period. He said the opening of the complete project would prove a boon for the commuters as it would not only reduce time of travel and fuel cost but also help in minimising the pollution levels and rate of accidents in the city.

“I’m happy that my efforts are leading to completion of the project,” he expressed while reiterating that he would make sure that the project was fully completed and dedicated to the public at the earliest possible.

The NHAI project director told Arora that the recent delay in completion of the remaining stretches was caused due to launching of spines and wings for the last two spans of elevated structure near Bharat Nagar Chowk in stages as there were mobility issues for cranes, which needed to be moved out after spine erection of last span before the wings were erected for preceding span.

He said the wing erection for the last span was also in progress.

Arora, who took a test drive on the completed first span of the highway, was apprised by the NHAI officials that 220 men, 10 cranes, two overhead gantry, a batch-mix plant, seven hydra and transit mixers had been pressed into service to further escalate the pace of the ongoing work.

Constantly pushing for the completion of the ongoing NHAI projects, the Rajya Sabha MP urged the team of the officials concerned, led by the NHAI Project Director, to finish the balance work within the minimum possible time to complete the project.

“The NHAI team is working hard and seriously day and night. Even the NHAI has made arrangements for additional machinery to carry on the construction work without any interruption, if the existing machinery gets faulty,” he expressed.

Arora, who had recently called on the NHAI Chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav to press for the early completion of the project, said he had been told that there would be four slip roads — one each near Verka Plant, PAU, Bhai Bala Chowk, and Hotel Park Plaza — on the elevated highway. There would also be a provision for the vehicular traffic to move towards the bus stand and Shri Durga Mata Mandir, the MP was further apprised.

The Rajya Sabha member said the NHAI officials had also made an appeal to the public to follow guidelines of the NHAI and not to exceed the speed of their vehicles above the permissible limit of 80 kmph on the elevated highway.

“I have observed that all norms with regard to the quality standards are being strictly followed by the NHAI in completing the project,” Arora expressed while patting the back of the official machinery for putting in their best efforts to bring the project to the advanced stage of completion.

Uninterrupted flow

The NH-95 section passing through the city was being constructed on the EPC mode under the NHDP, Phase IV.

The elevated highway, connecting Samrala Chowk to the Ludhiana municipal limits till the Ferozepur road on the NH-05 in the city, will be six-lane from Bharat Nagar to the municipal limits with two loops — one towards the railway station and another towards the ISBT.

The project entails six ramps — three each at exit and entry points, and a flyover at the Cheema chowk with 320-m length, which has already been completed and opened for traffic by the then NHAI chairman Sukhbir Singh Sandhu here in February last.

The almost-complete elevated highway will provide uninterrupted flow of traffic to several government offices, including Mini-Secretariat, Commissioner of Police office, head post office and major business establishments.

Even as the construction work on the project had commenced on October 10, 2017, it could not be accelerated due to existing trees, electricity supply lines of 11, 66, and 220-KV, and presence of sewer and water supply lines at several locations.

While the Cheema chowk flyover was completed and opened to traffic in December 2020, the work from 9.5-km to 12.95-km, including two ramps on either side for exit and entry, has almost been completed.

The work on the remaining portion of the project from the ISBT side will be completed by January 26.

Major reprieve to commuters: MP

“The completion of the elevated highway will be a New Year gift to Ludhiana residents. It will give a major reprieve to commuters on one of the busiest arteries in the city. It has been made possible after I took up the issue with Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Jairam Gadkari and NHAI Chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav,” said Sanjeev Arora, Rajya Sabha MP.

Project report

Cost: Rs 756.27 crore

Length: 12.95 km

Start date: Oct 10, 2017

Deadlines missed: April 7, 2020, June 30, July 31, September 30, December 31, 2023

Partially completed: First span in September, second in October, third in November 2023

Fresh deadline for remaining stretch: January 26

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