Reducing Delhi’s pollution by 27 percent sounds ambitious doesn’t it? That was the goal of the Delhi Eastern Peripheral Expressway. Here we stand at a crucial artery, a 135 km long testament to engineering. This is the Eastern Peripheral Expressway also known as the KGP Expressway.
Imagine this six-lane wide road a conduit connecting Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The Eastern Peripheral Expressway whisks you past Sonipat, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Greater Noida, Faridabad and Palwal. Think of it as the outer ring around Delhi. It is designed to ease traffic congestion and air pollution.
The Eastern Peripheral Expressway was declared National Expressway 2 in 2006. Its construction cost a staggering ₹11000 crore. The Indian government approved funding in August 2015. The aim to keep commercial vehicles out of Delhi.
The Eastern Peripheral Expressway intersects with the Delhi-Meerut Expressway. This provides seamless connectivity to Meerut. This also diverts over 50000 trucks away from Delhi daily.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Eastern Peripheral Expressway on May 27 2018. It happened in Baghpat. The Eastern Peripheral Expressway will soon link to the Yamuna Expressway. It will be an interchange near Jaganpur Afzalpur village.
Building the Eastern Peripheral Expressway was a huge task. The 135 km stretch divided into six packages. Five different contractors handled the work. The project included 406 structures. There are eight railway overbridges and four major bridges. Also included are 46 minor bridges two toll plazas and three flyovers. The Eastern Peripheral Expressway features seven interchanges and 221 underpasses. Impressively it also has 114 culverts. Excluding land costs the construction totaled ₹4418 crores.
The Eastern Peripheral Expressway uses a closed tolling system. Tolls are based on distance traveled. Electronic toll collection ensures smooth traffic flow. Weigh-in motion sensors prevent overloaded vehicles from entering. Overloaded trucks can park and unload cargo. Cameras every two kilometers monitor speed. Speeding vehicles get challans at the toll plaza.
Rainwater harvesting exists every 500 meters. Workers planted 2.5 lakh trees along the highway. A drip irrigation system waters them. A 2.5 meter cycle track runs on both sides. Solar panels power the expressway’s lighting. There are eight solar plants totaling 4000 kilowatts. Fly ash from coal plants makes up 33 percent of the earthwork reducing pollution.
The Eastern Peripheral Expressway faced challenges during construction. Farmers protested land acquisition in Greater Noida. This briefly stopped work in September 2017. The Supreme Court directed the NHAI to open the expressway by May 31 2018.
The Eastern Peripheral Expressway has seven exit points. The points are named after nearby villages. The expressway connects NH-1 at Kundli and NH-2 at Palwal.
The Eastern Peripheral Expressway offers facilities. There are signaling devices and a fiber optics network. It has pavement management systems. Advanced systems detect overspeeding and accidents. Electronic toll collection makes travel easier. Amenities include washrooms gas stations and restaurants.
The Eastern Peripheral Expressway has boosted real estate. Tier-III cities along the route have grown. The government plans to connect it to the Yamuna Expressway. This makes travel easier between regions. The Eastern Peripheral Expressway improves regional road connections. This reduces pollution. It benefits the economy. The Eastern Peripheral Expressway is more than just a road. It is a gateway to a cleaner more connected future.