Noida: A six-lane bridge over Hindon, connecting Aqua Line’s Sector 146 metro station and Knowledge Park 3 in Greater Noida, is set to halve travel time for commuters by letting them skip Noida Expressway, Pari Chowk and Surajpur-Kulesra Road. The 290-metre bridge will offer a direct route from residential areas off the expressway to LG Chowk, Gamma 1, Beta 1 and Surajpur.While Noida Authority has completed 810 metres of the approach road on its side, about 150 metres of the nearly one-kilometre stretch on the Greater Noida side remains unfinished. Once ready, commuters exiting the expressway near Sector 146 metro station will have to take the service lane to access the bridge.On Monday, TOI found the service lane near the metro station blocked by construction material for an upcoming luxury housing project in Sector 146. The project’s manager said the lane was incomplete and being used to store material. “We will remove it once the Authority asks us to do so,” he said.Beyond the service lane, commuters can reach the bridge via the completed approach road on the Noida side, where the bridge and approach road are largely finished, with only cosmetic work left. Workers were seen painting the central verge and reinforcing the road shoulders with stones, while landscaping, tiling, streetlights and road markings were still pending.
Workers were seen painting the central verge and reinforcing the road shoulders with stones on the Noida side
On the Greater Noida side, however, a 150-metre stretch of the approach road remains to be completed.Greater Noida Authority senior manager Rajesh Nim said the project was delayed over a land dispute. The project, launched by chief minister Yogi Adityanath in Jan 2019, was originally slated for completion within one-and-a-half years. However, work was halted due to land acquisition hurdles on the Noida side. Construction on the 40-metre-wide Hindon bridge resumed only in Nov 2023.“We are targeting completion before the International Trade Show next month. The remaining work includes a 150-metre stretch of the approach road and shifting of a high-tension power line. We are coordinating with UPPCL to complete the work,” he said.Currently, Noida Expressway and Surajpur-Kulesra road are the only routes linking the two cities, and both see heavy traffic jams during peak hours.
Commuters have already started using the bridge to travel between Noida and Greater Noida sectors
On Monday, TOI found many commuters already using the bridge to travel between Noida and Greater Noida sectors. Among them was Shripal Chauhan, a resident of Dostpur Mangroli in Sector 168, who teaches at Surajpur Inter College. “The bridge has made my daily commute far easier. Earlier, I used to travel via Noida Phase II, Surajpur and Kulesra, where traffic congestion was common. It used to take 45 minutes to an hour to reach Surajpur. The new bridge has cut that journey time to around 25 minutes,” he said.Satyendra Kumar, a Surajpur resident, said the new route has nearly halved his travel time as well. “Earlier, I had to travel via Pari Chowk to get to Noida Sector 150, and the drive took well over 30-40 minutes. Now, it takes only about 15 minutes,” he said.
