New Delhi: The twin expressways being built around Delhi to take trucks and unwanted traffic off Delhi roads — Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway and Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) — are set to miss their deadlines once again.
Haryana government officials said that since the KMP Expressway developer is still waiting for clearance from Railways to construct railoverbridges (ROBs) at three spots between NH-1 and NH-8, the entire corridor will not be ready for non-stop traffic flow by December 2010.
The first segment of the four-lane expressway between Manesar (NH-8) and Palwal (NH-2) will be opened in the first week of November.
Haryana government officials said the developer has informed them it is yet to get the go-ahead for construction of the three ROBs. ‘‘The developer maintains the project will be ready apart from the bridges. We might consider manning the railway crossings. If it does work and if trucks are taken off Delhi roads, we don’t see a problem,” said Haryana industry secretary Y S Malik.
Though partial tolling is allowed in the corridor, it is not yet clear whether the state will allow the developer to charge toll on the stretches where traffic flow is not nonstop. ‘‘It’s too early to comment,’’ Malik said.
A KMP Expressway Ltd spokesperson said they were pursuing the case of the bridges with the railways. ‘‘But we are confident of completing the project by yearend,’’ he added.
The EPE is still stuck in the initial stages. Recently, the Planning Commission asked the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to take the project off its bidding list and to float a fresh tender after restructuring of the project from six lanes to four lanes. This is the second time the expressway project will be restructured in the past two years. A tender for the expressway will now be floated for a third time.
Sources, however, said reducing the number of lanes to four would defeat the purpose of the expressway, which should be designed for vehicles travelling at speeds up to 120 kmph.