The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will build a 31-kilometre elevated expressway along the Yamuna Pushta road, linking east Delhi near Okhla barrage to Greater Noida’s Chi IV. This corridor will serve as a bypass to the Noida Expressway for commuters traveling to Noida International Airport, which is expected to handle 1.2 crore passengers annually in its initial years.
Project Background and Handover
The Uttar Pradesh government initially assigned the project to the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), which conducted a physical inspection with the irrigation department to assess the feasibility of widening the existing 11-kilometre, two-lane embankment road into a 10-lane corridor. The current road has two lanes on each side with a floodplain to its right. NHAI had initially stepped back due to procedural delays, but Union Minister Nitin Gadkari indicated in July last year that the agency would consider an elevated road along the Yamuna Pushta. On Tuesday, Noida Authority general manager AK Arora confirmed that NHAI had taken charge and the eight-lane corridor would be completed within two years.
Proposed Features and Connectivity
The corridor is proposed to include three loops to provide connectivity to areas along the route. NHAI’s consultant is preparing a detailed project report (DPR) while three development authorities — Noida, Greater Noida, and Yamuna — finalize land acquisition requirements. The elevated road will originate near the Okhla barrage in Sector 94 and run parallel to the Yamuna embankment through sectors 95, 125 to 135, encompassing corporate and educational campuses and residential highrises, before merging with the Yamuna Expressway.
Arora stated that a multi-agency meeting chaired by additional CEO Satish Pal on Monday examined all aspects of the alignment. “The NHAI consultant proposed the alignment from Noida Sector 94 to Chi-IV near Gautam Buddha University,” he said. An earlier proposal to extend the corridor to the DND Flyway was dropped after authorities identified the Okhla Bird Sanctuary and Dalit Prerna Sthal as obstacles.
Linked Projects for Seamless Connectivity
The Pushta corridor is one of three linked projects aimed at creating a high-speed alternative to the Noida Expressway. Noida Authority is separately building the 5.5-kilometre, six-lane Chilla Elevated Road, expected to open by July 2027, connecting the Chilla regulator near Mayur Vihar with Mahamaya Flyover in Noida. The Authority is also planning a 1.4-kilometre elevated link to bridge the gap from Mahamaya Flyover to Pushta Road. Together, these three projects are designed to provide seamless high-speed connectivity between Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida, and Jewar.
