Noida: The A 400-metre skywalk connecting the Aqua Line’s Sector 51 station with the Blue Line’s Sector 52 station is likely to take at least three more months before it could open to commuters, as engineers overlooked a structural beam blocking access at the entry point near Sector 51.Noida Authority spent Rs 40 crore on the project featuring travelators and lifts. Officials said the skywalk structure itself is complete, but relocating the obstructing beam could take two to three months before the corridor can be opened to commuters.When the Aqua Line metro station first became operational in 2019, a covered walkway had linked the two stations. It was later dismantled to facilitate construction work, forcing commuters to walk the 400-metre stretch in the open, often under harsh weather conditions and with heavy traffic obstructing their path.The stretch along the walkway is also encroached by street vendors selling juice, lemonade and books, in addition to autos and e-rickshaws that routinely block the path. The three-wheelers, which were relocated from outside the Sector 52 station where they earlier picked up passengers, now occupy the roadside between the two stations.Under such conditions, the skywalk becoming operational is necessary to facilitate a safe and hassle-free link for commuters making the switch between the two lines.Md Rashid, a resident of Jamia Nagar in Delhi who studies at a private college in Greater Noida, is one of hundreds that make the switch daily. “I am dependent on metro service for commuting. However, navigating this Sector 51-52 stretch is such a pain. There is no walkway or foot overbridge at present and we need to walk the encroached footpath. The project should be opened to the public soon,” he said.Sanjeev Kumar, a resident of Sector 51, said that the project has been delayed by two years and commuters are troubled. “This should be fixed at the earliest,” he added.Construction of the L-shaped air-conditioned skywalk, equipped with travelators, began in March 2023 and was scheduled to be completed within one year. Nearly three years later, it’s opening has been delayed yet again.Officials said the project faced delays due to multiple factors, including design changes and the National Green Tribunal’s restrictions on construction during winter to curb pollution.The skywalk was initially planned as a single-pillar structure, but the discovery of an underground metro cable during excavation led to a redesign with a two-column support system.
