CM Yogi Adityanath inaugurates elevated road project

New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh chief mi-nister Yogi Adityanath on Friday inaugurated the Hindon elevated road project — country’s longest elevated road. He also promised to make the commute from Delhi to Meerut and beyond more convenient than ever before.

Built at a whopping cost of Rs 1,147 crore, the six-lane elevated road is supported on 227 pillars. The main advantage of the road lies in the fact that motorists can now avoid the perennial traffic snarls on the Delhi-Ghaziabad border, cutting travel time to not just near-by destinations like Meerut, but also to scenic tourist spots in Uttarakhand.

The district magistrate and vice chairperson of Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA), Ritu Maheswar, said that as per its design, vehicle owners will be allowed to drive at an average speed of 80 km per hour on the road. After inaugurating the road at Rajnagar extension area, the CM took it to travel to Vasundhara.

The road was one of the initiatives of the previous Akhilesh Yadav-led SP government. Both SP and the ruling BJP have since tried to take credit for the project.  

The SP has said that 90 per cent of the road was completed during Mr Akhilesh’s term as CM. They also said that BJP delayed the project in a bid to take credit. 

Samajwadi Party MLC (member of Legislative Council) Rakesh Yadav had “inaugurated” the road on March 16, claiming the project was started during the party’s rule in the state. 

An FIR was lodged against him along with several SP workers.

The construction of the elevated road was supposed to finish in 2017. The total cost of the project stands at Rs 1,147 crore. The road is 10.3 km long and promises non-stop vehicular movement, to and fro, for commuters looking to avoid entering Ghaziabad city. It extends from UP Gate at Delhi-Ghaziabad border to Rajnagar Extension. 

Commuters travelling to Meerut, Hapur, and beyond can benefit from a clear passage courtesy the elevated road.