The two expressways- Eastern Periphery Expressway and the Western Periphery Expressway were planned in 2003 following the Supreme Court order to form a ring road outside Delhi for channeling non-Delhi bound traffic bypassing the national capital.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated the Western Peripheral Expressway (WPE), also known as the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal stretch on Monday. The much-awaited expressway which was earlier slated for inauguration in March was delayed due to carpeting work near drains and intersection.
Once the KMP expressway is thrown open, heavy vehicles will get access to various industrial towns like Maneser, Sohna, Dharuhera, Bawal and Bhiwadi in Haryana without entering Delhi. The expressway will cut down the distance between various northern and western states, along with cutting down carbon emissions in the national capital.
WESTERN PERIPHERAL EXPRESSWAY: SOME INTERESTING FACTS
# The two expressways- Eastern Periphery Expressway and the Western Periphery Expressway were planned in 2003 following the Supreme Court order to form a ring road outside Delhi for channeling non-Delhi bound traffic bypassing the national capital.
PM Modi inaugurated the Eastern Peripheral Expressway on May 27 earlier this year, fifteen years from the date of announcement. The highway was completed in the record time of 17 months as the foundation stone was laid by PM in November 2015.
The 135-km-long Eastern Peripheral Expressway envisages signal-free connectivity between Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gautam Budh Nagar (Greater Noida) and Palwal.
# 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.
# The 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.
# A sum of Rs 6,400 crore has been spent on the expressway project and 3,846 acres of land was acquired at a cost of Rs 2,788 crore.
# The design speed of this expressway is 120 kmph for light vehicles and 100 kmph for heavy ones.
# The proposal for the construction of the Western Periphery was made in 2003.
# The project was awarded to KMP Expressways Ltd., a special purpose vehicle of DS constructions, madhucon projects and Appollo Enterprises in 2005. The initial cost of the project was Rs 1915 crore.
# The project missed multiple deadlines and subsequently the then Congress-led government of the state decided to terminate the contract and pay KMP Expressway and lenders Rs 1,300 crore as a termination payment.
# The project was revived in 2014. It was also decided to upgrade the expressway to a six-lane expressway.
# The 53-kilometre stretch between Manesar and Palwal was opened for public use on April 5, 2016.
