News: Toll lanes shifting soon, Ambience Mall underpass may open in March-11-01-2021
GURUGRAM: After a delay of nearly one year, the temporary shifting of toll lanes at the Sirhaul plaza to facilitate the work on the Ambience Mall U-turn underpass is expected to begin in next 7-10 days. And with the last hurdle being apparently cleared, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) now hopes to complete the project by March 2021.
The confirmation comes after the highways authority recently received a cost estimate of about Rs 46 lakh for the shifting of the toll gates from the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC). Post-evaluation, NHAI will issue a notice to the contractor to begin work for the shifting of lanes. After shifting of lanes 4, 5 and 6, work on the box structure of the underpass will commence, officials said.
A senior NHAI official said, “We have finally received the cost estimate from SMDC. We have sent their proposal to our consultant to evaluate the estimates prepared by the civic body and also to check the overall feasibility of cost-bearing. In the next 7-10 days, we’ll direct the contractor to begin the dismantling of these three gates and commence the work on the box structure. If all goes as per the plan without any further hurdles, we should be able to complete the work by March.”
The recent development has come as a big relief to NHAI that has claimed that the work could have been completed last year itself had the SDMC not dragged its feet over the issue. The project is almost 80% complete and only the work on the box structure is stuck as lanes 4,5 and 6 are coming in the alignment of the project.
“Earlier the matter was stuck due to the Environment Protection Control Authority (EPCA). But with that dissolved, SDMC could have given the same estimate in November itself. Had they done that, we would have completed the work by Republic Day. Now if we do get a permission in a week and do not meet any further roadblocks, the project should be completed latest by March,” said an official at RK Contractor, NHAI’s contractor for the project.
The highways authority and its contractor have claimed that the shifting of the MCD toll gates has been delayed due to bureaucratic hurdles and the u-turn taken by SDMC on its previous commitment of facilitating the temporary shifting of toll gates coming in the alignment of the Ambience Mall U-turn underpass.
It was in December 2019 that NHAI had started pursuing the matter and SDMC then committed to cooperate. While initially the matter was held up to issue in environmental clearance to be given by EPCA, post its dissolution, SDMC dragged its feet on providing the cost estimates to NHAI.
