New Delhi: The third phase of expansion of Delhi Metro has seen its most challenging construction assignment. Many challenges have been focused upon among them one was the “crossing of NH-24” between Vinod Nagar and Vinod Nagar East and between IP Extension and the Vinod Nagar Metro Depot. This was the first time in the history of DMRC, already constructed pillars had to be dismantled, relocated and redesigned leading to time delay and additional cost.
The elevated alignment of the pink corridor passes over the national highway 24 towards Ghaziabad at two locations-between Vinod Nagar and Vinod Nagar east and between IP Extension and the Vinod Nagar Metro Depot.
The DMRC began work on these sections after obtaining clearance from the Union ministry of road transport and highways in March 2013. In June 2014, the National Highways Authority of India informed the DMRC that there should not be any Metro pier within the 90 metres of Right of Way of National Highway 24, since the stretch was now a part of the Meerut Expressway project.
Later, in September 2014, a decision was taken in a meeting between the DMRC and the NHAI to accommodate the former’s proposal. In the further meetings, the issue of providing adequate vertical clearance above the highways was discussed between the two organisations and an agreement was reached with making some modifications in the project. After the meeting, the construction resumed with the permission of the Union ministry of road transport and highways. But the project hit another roadblock in January 2015 when the NHAI asked the DMRC to stop work and said the horizontal location of the piers on NH-24 was infringing its proposed carriageway.
Later in June 2015, the Union road ministry held a meeting with various organisations to find a solution. After the meeting, the DMRC came up with a fresh proposal to place the Metro piers as per requirements given by the NHAI at both the locations in question. After obtaining all the necessary clearances, the DMRC resumed the work at the two locations in March 2016. “The elevated alignment of the corridor passes over the National Highway 24 towards Ghaziabad in two locations,” a DMRC official said.
