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A signal-free drive to Taj in 3 years

NEW DELHI: The drive to Taj Mahal through NH 2 will become faster and nearly signal-free in the next three years. NHAI plans to build flyovers or underpasses at all traffic intersections on the route, including one at Ashram Chowk in the capital, and a major private developer will start work on widening of the NH-2 between Badarpur and Agra. These plans were unveiled during the inauguration of the 4.4km Badarpur elevated road on Monday, which is expected to reduce the Delhi-Faridabad commute time by up to 40 minutes. While the stretch had informally opened a week back, tolling began after the inauguration. The toll rates are Rs 20 for one-way drive and Rs 30 for multiple entries within 24 hours. Transport and highways minister Kamal Nath said NHAI will soon complete a study on the Ashram-Badarpur stretch of NH-2. The opening of the elevated road at one of the most congested crossings in the city — the Badarpur intersection — has paved the way for other crowded junctions on NH-2 in Faridabad to get a similar treatment. In a written reply in Lok Sabha, minister of state for highways, RPN Singh, had submitted that 31 flyovers and underpasses will be constructed on the Delhi-Agra section of this national highway. Six 6-lane flyovers and another underpass, also 6-laned, will be constructed at the sector-59 crossing. ''We hope to start work on this stretch from January. We will create sufficient additional space so that regular commuters don't face any bottlenecks while the construction is carried out,'' said Sudhir Hoshing, senior vice-president of Reliance Infrastructure Ltd. At present, these intersections witness major snarls during peak hours and also during the night when there is heavy movement of trucks on the highway. The construction of flyovers will not only ensure uninterrupted movement of traffic heading towards Agra, but will also reduce the waiting time for vehicles heading for different sectors in Faridabad. Reliance has got the NHAI project and has already achieved financial closure. According to the reply in Parliament, all flyovers and underpasses on this 180-km stretch will be 6-lane structures, barring only one, in Agra, which will have four lanes. Once the project is completed, it will take just two hours to reach Agra from the capital as the maximum design speed on this stretch will be 100kmph. ''The opening of the Badarpur elevated road has already brought huge relief to daily commuters,'' said an NHAI official. Reliance officials claimed that the traffic situation on this stretch will not be as bad as that witnessed on the Gurgaon-Jaipur corridor where traffic flow is much more compared to NH-2. The BOT project takes off from Delhi-Faridabad border and goes through Agra and Mathura districts in UP and Faridabad in Haryana. Experts feel the series of flyovers will drastically change the economy of these areas. ''You'll see the skyline change. New and swanky buildings will soon come up in these areas,'' said an NHAI official.

                                                                                                               
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