Delhi’s iconic Signature Bridge to ease traffic congestion and reduce fuel consumption
After missing several deadlines since 2004, the 575m long Signature Bridge will also be a tourist spot offering a bird’s eye view of the city from a glass box.
On November 4, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal inaugurated the much-delayed Signature Bridge. Standing at 165m, twice the height of the Qutub Minar, it is India’s first asymmetrical cable-stayed bridge.
It is built over Yamuna river, at a cost of Rs 1,518.3 crore by Delhi Transport Development Corporation (DTDDC). It will help in reducing fuel consumption, with time cut down to 10 minutes from the current 45 minutes at present traveling to north-east Delhi.
A glass box offers tourists a panoramic view of the city at a height of 154m. It can accommodate 50 people at a time, and has four lifts, reports India Today.
Now, commuters can travel with ease to Ghaziabad and areas near the Uttar Pradesh border via Bhajanpura, Khajuri Khas, Yand amuna Vihar in Northeast Delhi, and from Wazirabad, Mukherjee Nagar and Burari in North Delhi through this 575m long bridge.
The traffic intensity on the Outer Ring Road, Shandra Bridge, ISBT Kashmiri Gate, Khajuri Khas, Bhajanpura, Old Wazirabad Bridge and Pusta Road, will be shifted onto the Signature bridge, reports Hindustan Times.
A frequent commuter said,
“One can witness perennial traffic jam at Wazirabad Crossing and Majnu Ka Tila. Gaziabad or Loni bound commuters coming from Azadpur side had to either take Wazirabad Bridge or Shahdara flyover going via ISBT Kashmiri Gate. But with the Signature Bridge being operational, all this traffic will be shifted there. Noida and south Delhi bound commuters will get a smooth flow on Outer Ring Road.”
The death of 22 school children in an accident on the narrow Wazirabad bridge, prompted the Delhi Government to finalise the draft of this bridge in 1998, reports Navbharat Times.
Construction of the bridge began in 2004, and it was supposed to be completed before the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
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