Western Peripheral Expressway Now Open For Public Use
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the Western Peripheral Expressway (WPE) , also known as the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal Expressway. Together, the eastern and western peripheral expressway has now formed a ring around the city which will decongest Delhi roads by providing bypass for vehicles not destined for the national capital. The much-awaited expressway which was earlier slated for inauguration in March was delayed due to carpeting work near drains and intersection.
To boost development along the highway, Haryana Cabinet has approved the development of five cities on 50,000 hectares each side of the expressway which would cover eight districts of the state -- Sonipat, Rohtak, Jhajjar, Gurugram, Rewari, Mewat, Faridabad and Palwal. The Cabinet has also given an approval to form the Panchgram Development Authority.
The twin project
As the name signifies, the Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) bypasses Delhi on the eastern side while the Western Peripheral Expressway (WPE) outlines its western border. The EPE is part of the Peripheral Expressway Project, which includes Western Peripheral Expressway WPE and EPE, connecting the National Highway-1 and the National Highway-2 from the western and eastern side of Delhi, respectively.
The two expressways are dubbed as the first smart and green highway, with an intelligent highway traffic management system (HTMS) , video incident detection system (VIDS) , electrified by solar panels and faster Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system at toll booths.
EPE: The expressway is also named as the National Expressway-2 and will provide connectivity between Delhi, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Greater Noida, Baghpat and Sonipat. It would be a 135-km, six-lane expressway and will have two sections — the Palwal-Ghaziabad section and the Ghaziabad-Sonipat section.
Also read: Hurdles In Eastern Peripheral Expressway Work Cleared: SC Told
WPE: This stretch is 135-km long and is partially operational. The road has been divided into three sections, each of 45 km. The WPH crosses NH-44 at Kundli, NH-10 at Bahadurgarh, NH-8 at Manesar, NH-248 A at Sohna and NH-2 at Palwal. Almost 15 flyovers will be built at different places along the stretch to facilitate smooth commute.
The journey
While the EPE was scheduled for inauguration on January 26, 2018, the operational date was pushed by five months as the work was incomplete at certain stretches. Land-related issues have delayed the work at Ghaziabad while in Greater Noida, farmers agitation halted the construction for several months due to unfair compensation. For speedy resolution, the NHAI had sanctioned Rs 15 crore to build another side road to connect interior villages of Ghaziabad with the expressway and has asked farmers to withdraw their pending cases. Almost 60 per cent of the work was completed by April 2017 but the continuous problem at the site, mostly related to land settlement delayed the operations at the expressway.
The work progressed in smooth fashion for the western expressway as 50 per cent of the land acquisition cost was borne by the Delhi government. About 95 per cent of the construction work has been finished and would be operational soon. The Manesar-Palwal stretch is already operational since April 2016. Currently, flyovers are being constructed at places where the expressway crosses the highway.
The entire peripheral project would form a ring road around Delhi with a total length of 270 km. While a length of 183 km passes through Haryana, the remaining about 87 km length passes through Uttar Pradesh.
Impact on property market
Real estate developers have used this opportunity well and have managed to cater to the growth potential in these markets. Kundli, Sonipat, Manesar, Palwal, Greater Noida has now grown into fully-developed real estate hotspots where affordable housing options are attracting investors from Delhi. The urbanisation spree has reached these distant NCR regions as a number of retail complexes, commercial hubs have come up along these expressways. Most of the residential projects in these areas are now operational and have an up-market feel.
Also read: KMP Expressway To Boost Sonepat Real Estate
Property prices
The property prices in these areas range between Rs 2,000-3,500 per sqft. The impact of these upcoming connectivity was also visible in areas such as Raj Nagar Extension, Faridabad, Bahadurgarh, Ballabhgarh where prominent developers launched their housing projects in joint venture with smaller builders. This has lifted the overall standard of living in the town as young investors, businessmen, traders are choosing city-like apartment life over independent bungalows which have all amenities in the society such as club-house, gym, manicured gardens, etc. As a result, these expressways have contributed to fast-catching urbanisation around the NCR.