Stretch of Rs 756-cr elevated highway opens

Tribune News Service

Nitin Jain

Ludhiana, November 14

In a festive gift to local reidents, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) opened for vehicular traffic another stretch of the partially-access controlled four-lane elevated highway corridor in Ludhiana on Sunday.

PROJECT REPORT

Cost Rs 756.27 crore

Length 12.951-km

Start date October 10, 2017

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

Partially completed First span on September 11, second on November 12

Fresh deadline for remaining stretch December 31

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A GIFT for the festive season

With the opening of the second stretch of the elevated highway, we have offered a festive gift to Ludhiana residents. This will give a major reprieve to the 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 — SANJEEV ARORA, RAJYA SABHA MP

Also, the remaining portion of the much-awaited project has reached an advanced stage of completion and will be made operational by the year end, the officials have claimed.

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

While the 5.8 km first span of the big ticket project had been opened last month, vehicular movement on the remaining 5.15-km stretch of the entire 12.95 km long highway will be allowed by December 31, officials have revealed.

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

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

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

He divulged that the 5.8 km two spans of the elevated highway from Bhaiwal Chowk to MC limits and Verka Milk Plant to Jagraon Bridge (near Durga Mata Mandir) were already opened for traffic so far, while the remaining two stretches – 1.6 km second span on its opposite side from Bhaiwal Chowk to Bharat Nagar Chowk (railway station side), third span towards ISBT side – will be thrown open by December 31.

He was apprised that the finishing touches were being given to the remaining portions of the elevated road.

Further, Arora was informed that a 1 km stretch from Bharat Nagar Chowk to ISBT will also be connected in December. More than 70 per cent work on the stretch towards the bus stand has been completed so far.

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

Arora said the local residents, especially the commuters, will get a sigh of relief after the project is fully completed in the coming period. He said the opening of the complete project will prove a boon for the commuters as it will 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 will make sure that the project is 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 informed that 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, 2 overhead gantry, a batch-mix plant, 7 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 officials concerned, led by the NHAI project director, to finish the remaining work within the minimum possible time.

Arora, who had recently called on the NHAI Chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav to press for the early completion of the project, said he has been informed 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 have also made an appeal to the general public to follow guidelines of the NHAI and not to exceed the speed of their vehicles above the permissible limit of 80 kmph on elevated highway.

Uninterrupted Flow

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

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

The project entails six ramps — 3 each at exit and entry points, and a flyover at Cheema chowk with 320-meter 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 this 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.

The work from 9.5 km to 12.95 km, including two ramps on either side for exit and entry, will be completed shortly.

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