NEW DELHI, May 19: The Ghaziabad-Aligarh Expressway has made history by laying of bituminous concrete over a distance of 100 lane kilometres in an unprecedented time of 100 hours, an official statement of the ministry of road transport and highways said on Friday. It said the accomplishment highlighted the dedication and ingenuity of India’s road infrastructure industry.
Addressing the celebration ceremony virtually, road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari said the Ghaziabad-Aligarh section of NH34, spanning 118 kilometres, plays a vital role as a transportation link between the densely populated regions of Ghaziabad and Aligarh.
He said this project traverses various towns and cities in Uttar Pradesh, including Dadri, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Sikandrabad, Bulandshahr, and Khurja. It serves as a critical trade route, facilitating the movement of goods and contributing to regional economic development by connecting industrial areas, agricultural regions, and educational institutions, he added.
The minister said this innovative green technology involves utilizing 90 per cent of the milled material, which amounts to nearly 20 lakh square meters of road surface.
He said consequently, the consumption of virgin materials has been reduced to a mere 10 per cent. “By adopting this approach, we have significantly reduced fuel consumption and the associated greenhouse gas emissions, thereby making a substantial contribution to lowering our carbon footprint,” Gadkari said.
(Manas Dasgupta)