New Expressway to cut last stretch between Yamuna Expressway and Taj Mahal to 15 minutes

NEW DELHI: The travel time for the 24km stretch between Yamuna Expressway and Taj Mahal, which takes around 90 minutes now, will be reduced to only 15 minutes, according to a plan prepared by the Agra Development Authority (AGA).

AGA will soon build a six/eight-lane inner Ring Road expressway to improve the last-leg connectivity between Agra and NH-3 (Agra-Gwalior).

At present, commuters have to negotiate huge traffic snarls as soon as they get off from Yamuna Expressway since the stretch passes through an urban area. "We have started the process of engaging a consultant to finalize the Ring Road alignment and work out the project cost. The consultant will also suggest the project's model," said a senior AGA official.

He added that the project can be completed in three years since the land is already with the Authority. "Construction work can start as soon as the project is awarded to a private developer on public-private-partnership (PPP) mode. Besides, this is a priority project for the state government," the official. It will be a significant link for the 207-km Agra-Lucknow Expressway as well.

The inner Ring Road expressway will start from NH-2 at Kuberpur and terminate at NH-3 (near Agra canal at Rohta). It will cut across Fatehabad, Shamsabad and Tantpur roads. It will have four inter-changes at Kanpur Road, Fatehabad Road, Shamsabad Road and Gwalior Road.

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Agra Development Authority (AGA) is planning an inner Ring Road expressway to improve the last-leg connectivity between Agra and NH-3 (Agra-Gwalior). AGA got involved in the project after Jaypee Group backed out following its inability to get around 1,279 hectares, which were promised to the private developer as a "sweetener" to make the venture viable. Jaypee had also prepared a detailed project report, pegging its cost to around Rs 2,200 crore. It was proposed that the stretch would have at least 5.5km elevated portions with 19 underpasses.

Earlier, ADA had pledged to get the land by March, 2011. Jaypee opted out last December, when the Authority failed to deliver on its promise.

Industry insiders said that since the project is likely to be highly-capital intensive, recovering the cost from toll revenue would not be viable for any private developer. Government sources said that the project might be awarded on build-operate-transfer (BOT-Annuity) mode. In that case, government would pay back the entire project cost along with accrued interests in installments.