GREATER NOIDA: Better late than never.
Work to install crash barriers along the median of the 165km-long Yamuna Expressway has finally commenced, a project that aims at making the speedway safer for commuters.
The 42km stretch between Greater Noida and Jewar will be covered in the first leg, officials said.
The contractor assigned to execute the work has already started covering one side of the median and started putting up the beams.
However, Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority has asked Jaypee Infratech Limited, the company managing the high-speed corridor, to expedite the work.
“At present, only one side of the median is being covered.
At this pace, it will take very long to cover the entire stretch between Greater Noida and Agra, and hence the concessionaire has been asked to expedite work,” said YEIDA CEO Arun Vir Singh.
A total of Rs 108 crore will be utilised to augment the road safety feature of the six-lane expressway.
Officials said that a specialised machine is deployed to install metal beam crash barriers.
“The concessionaire is going to deploy another machine within a few days to cover the other side of the median,” said an official.
The highway guardrails are required on the expressway to improve the overall safety of commuters.
Several fatal accidents have taken place on the Yamuna Expressway and after the crash, many vehicles have crossed over to the other side of the median and hit oncoming vehicles on the opposite carriageway.
Work is also on to set up FASTag system by June 15.
Officials said that overall road safety measures for commuters will be improved by September and work on some patches is also being carried out.
A drive against dhabas which have come up along the highway on YEIDA’s land will also be conducted soon.