NOIDA: The Noida Authority is set to start work on a six-lane bridge, parallel to the existing Okhla Barrage, this month bringing a sigh of relief to thousands of commuters who travel between Delhi, Noida and Faridabad. Technical bids for the project are to be finalized on February 3, while financial bids will be decided a week later. According to the officials, the construction of the Rs 150 crore bridge is expected to be ready in two years.

Officials further revealed that the Central Water & Power Research Station (CWPRS), Pune, Yamuna Action Plan (YAP) and IIT-Delhi have already approved the proposed project last year and it is being fast tracked according to the directions of the chief minister, Akhilesh Yadav.

The traffic on the Kalindi Kunj Bridge, linking Noida and south Delhi, has grown considerably in the past few years. Experts said that the narrow road which caters to nearly 1.5 lakh vehicles daily is no longer convenient.

CWPRS carried out detailed surveys and hydraulic model studies for the bridge in August last year. Moreover, factors pertaining to the soil, river flow, water pressure, pillar strength, etc have been tested by the agency to ascertain the design of the pillars and the width of the bridge.

The proposed 574m long bridge will be supported by 15 pillars, with a 41m distance between two pillars. It will also have a central verge and pedestrian pathways on each side. A cycle track is also on the cards. The new bridge will be at a distance of about 40m from the Metro track, which is currently under construction. It will have approach roads from Delhi and Noida.

In May last year, some amendments were made to the initial design of the proposed bridge. Initially, the Noida Authority had proposed to construct a parallel bridge between the existing Okhla Barrage and the upcoming Metro line. The new bridge will now be located below the Metro line. Also, a link road from the bridge has been proposed till the Mahamaya flyover, officials said.

A proposal for a parallel bridge was made nearly two years ago, as an agreement between Noida Authority and Noida Toll Bridge Company Limited — that has built and runs the DND Flyway — prohibited a competing facility for a period of 10 years.

Since DND became operational in February 2001, the agreement expired in 2011. This allowed the Authority to take up the project on priority and it gave the green signal to the new bridge in February 2011 by selecting a consultant and fixing a budget.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/noida/Work-on-parallel-bridge-at-Okhla-Barrage-to-start-in-February/articleshow/29628246.cms

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