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Yamuna Expressway To Get New Safety Features, Transport Links

Yamuna Expressway To Get New Safety Features, Transport Links

Yamuna Expressway To Get New Safety Features, Transport Links
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A real estate hotspot and one of India’s longest controlled-access expressway, the six-lane Yamuna Expressway spans a length of 205 kilometre and connects the cities of Greater Noida and Agra in Uttar Pradesh. Since its launch, the expressway has greatly reduced the travel time between the two places from four hours to only one hour and 40 minutes, apart from boosting real estate.

Although planned for high-speed commuting, Yamuna Expressway has now become a notorious accident-prone stretch, raising safety concerns. The media has reported several cases of traffic violations, leading to 105 and 110 accidental deaths on the expressway in 2016 and 2017, respectively. In March, about five vehicles were found speeding every two minutes with some vehicles moving at over 200 kilometres per hour (kmph). The Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) reports that 4,984 accidents have happened in the last six years from October 1, 2012 to April 10, 2018. The Supreme Court, after hearing petitions from several motorists, has asked the Uttar Pradesh government to implement measures for tracking traffic violations and ensuring safety.

MakaanIQ looks at Yamuna Expressway from different perspectives:

Yamuna expressway as a landscape-shaping infrastructure

Inaugurated in August 2012 by former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, the project was executed by Jaypee Infratech Limited in three phases at a cost of Rs 128.39 billion. Construction works began in December 2007, and it was completed two years ahead of the scheduled date. It was aimed at providing quick access from Delhi to Agra (Kuberpur) while also decongesting the National Highway - 2 (NH - 2), that passes through Delhi, Faridabad, Ballabgarh and Palwal up to West Bengal.

As proposed by the YEIDA, the upcoming international airport at Jewar will be linked through the expressway, apart from the Eastern Peripheral Expressway. The YEIDA is also planning a metro link from Pari Chowk till Yamuna Expressway Sector 18 and 20. Through this service, travel to the Indira Gandhi International Airport would become much easier. Commuting across the National Capital Region will have a whole new meaning, once these plans see the light of day.

State-of-the-art features of Yamuna expressway

The concrete-paved expressway has the capacity to extend up to eight lanes and is equipped with a host of modern features:

  • Designed to accommodate over 1,00,000 vehicles per day, the rapid transit corridor was built with the scope to house several interchanges, underpasses, toll stations, as well as minor and major bridge structures. There are at present 12 toll collection booths.
  • To ensure safety, CCTV cameras are installed at every 5 kilometres along the route. One highway patrol at every 25 kilometres as well as mobile radars to track speed limits, clear signage, toll-free helpline and SOS booths are also located at several points for the safety of the motorists.
  • Speed limit for vehicles on the expressway is fixed at 100 kilometres per hour. However, heavy vehicles have to adhere to a limit of 60 kilometres per hour.
  • The highway has the potential to serve as an emergency landing pathway for defence aircraft.
  • There are plans to install metal beam crash barriers as well as LED lights at every 30 meters along the expressway.
  • Commuters who use the mobile application, Highway Saathi, for traffic alerts will soon have an additional feature at their disposal - an alert message for driving beyond the permissible speed limit.

Yamuna expressway as an investment hub

Planned to provide seamless connectivity, Yamuna Expressway today is a storehouse of new investment opportunities. New projects are being launched as the location provides a conducive growth environment - with premium educational institutions, shopping malls, hospitals and recreational facilities in the vicinity. Availability of land parcels and proximity to commercial hubs of Noida like Sector 18 have attracted big industry players to this location. The Phase 1 of the corridor falling in Greater Noida is coveted among all. Besides, commercial properties, there are many high-end hotel projects for business travellers too. With the upcoming transport links, the liveability of the area is expected to improve further.

Last Updated: Wed Apr 25 2018

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