Yamuna Expressway
Taking infrastructure to an all new high is the much talked about Yamuna Expressway. It is a 6 lane controlled access expressway that connects Greater Noida to Agra. This 165 km expressway is a delight to drive on. It is the country’s longest 6 lane controlled access expressway. The expressway reduces the travel time between Greater Noida and Agra from 4 hours to about 100 minutes. The good thing is that the expressway not only reduces the travel time but also offers great scope for development in terms of real estate as well as industries. Integrated development along the expressway under the Authority initiatives is opening up avenues for Industrial and Urban development of the region and providing the base for convergence to tourism and other allied industries.
History of Yamuna Expressway
The Taj Expressway project was announced in 2001, by the then CM of Uttar Pradesh – Mr. Rajnath Singh. But due to the change of government, the project could not be implemented. It only strarted in the year 2007 when Mayawati gained power. The project was then renamed as Yamuna Expressway. The implementation of this mighty project has been done by Jaypee Group. The total project cost is said to be Rs. 128.39 billion. The expressway was inaugurated by Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav in August 2012, about two years behind is original target completion date.
Features of Yamuna Expressway
The expressway takes architectural design to scaling heights. Given below are some of the key features of the Yamuna Expressway –- Length – 165 km
- Right of way – 100m
- No. of lanes – 6
- Type of pavement – Rigid
- Interchange – 7
- Underpass – 35
- Main Toll Plazas – 5
- Rail over bridge – 1
- Major bridge – 1
- Minor bridge – 42
- Vehicular underpasses – 70
It has a toll free helpline for emergencies and SOS booths along the routes. CCTVs are installed at a distance of every 5 km that help in assistance and safety. Mobile radars help in monitoring maximum and minimum speed limit and there is one highway patrol at every 25 km for greater safety and security.
Development
The development of Yamuna Expressway was done in three phases –Phase I – Expressway Stretch between Greater Noida and proposed Taj International Aviation Hub (near village Jewar on the southern tip of Dist. Gautam Budh Nagar)
Phase II – Expressway Stretch between proposed Taj International Aviation Hub and an intermediate destination between proposed Taj International Aviation Hub and Agra.
Phase III – Expressway Stretch between intermediate destination and Agra.