Noida: A 700-metre underpass, expected to decongest Greater Noida’s busiest traffic intersections near Gaur Chowk, will take three more months to be ready and is not likely to open to commuters before this monsoon. Greater Noida Authority CEO said in March that the work would be wrapped up and the project opened to the public by June.Currently, the stretch faces daily traffic congestion due to restrictions and diversions along both corridors of Taj Highway to facilitate the ongoing construction. The presence of heavy machinery and barricades adds to the chaos.According to senior officials, of the project’s total 26 sections, work on 20 sections or panels of the underpass project, which runs parallel to Taj Highway, has been completed. Five of the rest, still under construction, are next to Gaur City, and one is on the opposite side of the Greater Noida West Road.“Over 70% of the work is over. Among the pending work are excavations in these six sections, construction of a retaining wall there, curing water and levelling the slope, etc. The project is likely to open on Aug 15,” a GNIDA official said.Gaur Chowk has long been identified among Greater Noida West’s traffic pinch points, along with Ek Murti Chowk, Tigri Rotary and Shahberi, where high-density housing, construction bottlenecks and massive volume of vehicles from Ghaziabad and Noida create daily congestion. Gaur Chowk alone is dotted with over five lakh residents and sees heavy traffic from Noida, Surajpur, Crossings Republik and the Delhi-Meerut Expressway. The launch of commercial flights from Noida International Airport in Jewar is further likely to add to traffic pressure in the area.The six-lane underpass will provide a direct link between Greater Noida, Gaur City and the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, allowing vehicles to bypass the intersection and reduce traffic load at the junction. Of its total length, 350 metres lie on each side of the chowk. The project is being executed at an estimated cost of Rs 92 crore.The underpass project, which started in July 2024 with an initial 18-month deadline, has faced delays over restrictions on construction due to the implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan during the winter months. Work in the area is also frequently halted to facilitate peak-hour traffic flow. In Sept last year, the Authority completed the main slab of this underpass, allowing movement of vehicles from Noida to Gaur Chowk and Ek Murti without any diversion.A daily commuter, however, said the area was notorious for snarls. “During the evenings, vehicles barely move. If one stands atop one of these highrises here, all one can see is a sea of red. The construction activities and diversions have worsened congestion in the area. This project should be opened soon to ease the situation,” Gautam Kumar, a resident of Gaur City, said.
