Source: PIB & New Indian Express
The Peripheral Expressway Project comprises two expressways – Western Peripheral Expressway (WPE) and Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) connecting NH-1 and NH-2 from the Western and Eastern sides of Delhi. The EPE and WPE constitute one combined project forming a Ring Road around Delhi with a total length of 270 km. About 183 km length passes through the State of Haryana whereas the remaining about 87 km length passes through the State of Uttar Pradesh.
What is the peripheral expressway?
The peripheral expressway — a route that goes around Delhi passing through several districts of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh — is a six-lane access-controlled expressway aimed at diverting heavy traffic passing through Delhi but bound for other parts of the country. The peripheral expressway passes through Sonipat, Jhajjar, Gurugram, Mewat, Palwal, Faridabad, Noida, Ghaziabad and Baghpat.
About the Eastern Peripheral Expressway
- It is India’s first smart and green highway which connects Kundli-Ghaziabad-Palwal
(135km) - The uniqueness of the expressway: The Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) is also the country’s first highway to be lit by solar power and at every 500 meters, as there are eight solar power plants on this Expressway, with a capacity of 4000 KW (4 megawatts) for lighting of the underpasses and running solar pumps for watering plants and also having arrangement for rainwater harvesting on both sides at every 500 meters and there is drip irrigation for plants all along the expressway.
- Another special feature of the Expressway is that it has a closed tolling system in which toll will be collected only for the distance travelled and not for the entire length.
- Toll plazas will be equipped with Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system for faster toll collection and Weigh-in-Motion (WIMs) equipment has been installed at all 30 entry points of the Expressway to stop the entry of over-loaded vehicles.
- Kundli-Ghaziabad-Palwal (KGP) Expressway (Eastern Peripheral Expressway) has been constructed by NHAI to ease the traffic congestion in Delhi.
Western Peripheral Expressway (WPE)
- It passes through Kundli-Manesar-Palwal
- With this Delhi will now have a third ring road around it which will divert heavy traffic that passes through Delhi but is bound for other parts of the country.
- It is a partially operational route divided into three 45-km sections. The expressway intersects at the National Highway 44 at Kundli, the National Highway 10 at Bahadurgarh, the National Highway 8 at Manesar, the National Highway 248 at Sohna and the National Highway 2 at Palwal.