Rs 11,000 crore Eastern Peripheral Expressway to be inaugurated today: 10 unique features

The Kundli-Ghaziabad-Palwal (KGP) expressway, also known as Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE), will be dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a mega event in Baghpat on Sunday. Modi will hold a roadshow in an open jeep for 6 km on the 9-km first leg of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, starting from the Nizamuddin Bridge, and then fly to Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh to inaugurate the EPE. 

The inaugural ceremony will be held at the District Sports stadium in Baghpat.

The Supreme Court on May 10 had directed the NHAI to throw open the Expressway for the public by May 31, asking why were they "waiting" for its inauguration by the Prime Minister. The apex court had said if the 135-km expressway is not inaugurated on or before May 31, it should be thrown open for public who were facing traffic congestion in Delhi.

Here are 10 unique features of the Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE):

1. The 135-km EPE has been built at a cost of Rs 11,000 crore in a record 500 days.

2. Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari said that 11 lakh tonnes of cement, 1 lakh tonnes of steel, 3.6 crore cum earthwork and 1.2 cr cum fly-ash have been used in the construction of the highway. 

3. The project also generated employment opportunities of about 50 lakh man-days and 9,375 manpower was deployed here, the minister said. 

4. The six-lane expressway has 406 structures of which 4 are major bridges, 46 minor bridges, 3 flyovers, 7 inter-changes, 221 underpasses and 8 road over bridges (ROBs). The amenities include retail fuel outlets, rest rooms, motels, restaurants, shops etc.

5. The Eastern and the Western Peripheral Expressways were planned in 2006 following the apex court's order to build a ring road outside the national capital for channelling the traffic not bound for Delhi. 

6. The Expressway has several unique features. It is India's first highway to be lit by solar power and has 8 solar power plants on with a capacity of 4000-kilo watt (4 MW).

7. Other green features of the EPE include rain water harvesting on every 500 metres on both sides. 

8. 2.5 lakh trees have been planted including transplant of 8-10 year old trees and drip irrigation provision has been done.

9. Replicas of 36 national monuments have been built along the highway. Some of the monuments' replicas pertain to Ashoka Lion, Ashoka Chakra, Konark Temple, Jalianwala Bagh, Gateway of India, Qutab Minar, Char Minar, Lal Quila, Kirti Stambh, India Gate, Hawa Mahal and Gujarat Carving.

10. The road will have auto challans for over-speeding, as cameras will capture speed of vehicles. The expressway has an iconic toll plaza at the entry point on Kundli side and has provisions of tolling only for the distance travelled.