530m circular skywalk set to decongest Noida office hub

Noida: Noida Authority on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for a 530-metre-long skywalk in Sector 62 to run above the roundabout. The Rs 26 crore project will create a grade-separated pedestrian corridor aimed at reducing accident risk and easing congestion at the intersection. The project is going to be completed in 18 months, officials said.The elevated corridor will have a 350-metre circular stretch that mirrors the roundabout and a 180-metre straight segment. It will be covered with an iron roof to allow comfortable use during rain and extreme heat. It will be equipped with stairs, lifts and escalators at four access points with exits towards Sector 62, Sector 63 and on both sides along NH9.The skywalk is expected to benefit residents of Noida and Ghaziabad, particularly Indirapuram and those living and working in sectors 62 and 63. Thousands of people from these neighbourhoods cross the roundabout each day to access offices, colleges, markets, bus stops and shared transport points.A recent survey has found that more than 50,000 people cross the sector 62–63 roundabout every day, many of them alighting from buses and shared autos operating between Meerut, Ghaziabad, Delhi and Noida. Their movement frequently stalls traffic and creates traffic chaos.Officials said the design will enable pedestrians to cross from all directions without interrupting vehicular flow at the multi-lane junction, which sees heavy daily footfall from office-goers, students and commuters accessing nearby institutional, commercial and residential hubs. The Authority had earlier considered a conventional foot overbridge at this location, but a pedestrian movement study indicated that a linear structure would be less effective at a roundabout with multi-directional movement patterns.With access from all sides, the skywalk will allow pedestrians to disperse naturally to their destinations without stepping into traffic, reducing crossing time and improving safety for commuters. Officials said the project forms part of the Authority's plan to develop a 3.5 km model road from Sector 62 to Mamura, a corridor that routinely faces peak-hour bottlenecks as traffic streams in from the expressway towards dense office clusters and residential societies.