Construction of the long-awaited Madhuban railway overbridge (ROB) near Delhi Meerut Road has been dragging on for five years, pushing its cost up by ₹21 crore, officials of the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) said on Thursday. Initially estimated at ₹68.47 crore in 2020, the project cost has now risen to ₹89.06 crore due to delays, with completion expected by the end of 2025.
The bridge, designed to improve connectivity between Madhuban Bapudham and Delhi Meerut Road, is being constructed by the Railways and UP State Bridge Corporation Limited. GDA officials attributed the prolonged delays to funding issues and design modifications.
“Initially, the Railways was seeking the full amount for their portion of the work, but the authority then was facing financial issues and was trying to make payments in instalments. Later, there was also a change in design, and this too hampered the work. The work is presently going on in full swing, and it is expected that the overbridge may be ready by the end of 2025,” said Rudresh Shukla, media coordinator of GDA.
Officials said the delay has also impacted the Madhuban Bapudham housing scheme, launched in 2004 over an area of 1,234 acres. Once completed, the bridge will provide direct and seamless access to Delhi Meerut Road for residents of Govindpuram, Swarn Jayanti Puram, Harsaon, Shastri Nagar, and other parts of Ghaziabad.
After improving its financial position, the GDA cleared ₹35.06 crore in dues to the Railways and has already paid ₹47 crore to the bridge corporation, with the remaining amount to be disbursed soon.
The overbridge spans 751 metres over the Ghaziabad-Meerut railway section. The Railways is responsible for constructing 40 metres of the structure above the tracks, while the bridge corporation is handling the rest. The completed bridge will feature four lanes for vehicular traffic, along with an underpass for smaller motorised and non-motorised vehicles.
“The bridge corporation is tasked to construct the two approach roads on the sides of the bridge, and we have completed about 80% of our work. The Railways has also started their portion of the work, and it is likely that they will take another six to seven months to finish it. After they are complete, we will take another three to four months to finish off the rest of the work. Generally, the project completion time is two years, but delays due to different reasons hampered the construction,” said Rajneesh Yadav, project manager, UP State Bridge Corporation Limited.
With work finally progressing at full pace, officials are optimistic that the bridge will be operational before the end of next year.