Why cycle of jams on DND loop is a never-ending one

Noida: Commuters traveling on the DND Flyway loop find the route knotted with snarls every day.
During rush hours, a high volume of traffic entering Noida from the eight-lane DND descends into two lanes of the loop that merge into the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway. Also choked with vehicles coming into the city from Chilla border, the expressway and the loop end up with long tailbacks.
Brajesh Sharma, a resident of Antriksh Golf View 2, commutes from his home in Sector 78 to Delhi's Siri Fort area.
Sharma, who works with a PSU, said on Saturday that the situation is a "nightmare" during the evening hours and it takes him half an hour just to cross the stretch.
"The DND Flyway loop is like a nightmare for people who take this route for commuting between Delhi and Noida. Eight-lane traffic at the toll plaza narrows down to four lanes -- two of the lanes are for the loop, and two other lanes go straight to Sector 16. Traffic on the loop merges with traffic coming from Mayur Vihar, Akshardham and Film City, making the entire stretch a bottleneck," he said.
Sharma suggested that as a short-term measure, some vehicles can be directed towards Sector 16 metro station to ease pressure on the loop.
Anu Shree, a resident of Mahagun Moderne in Sector 78 and an HR manager at a private firm in south Delhi's Green Park, said going to office in the mornings isn't as chaotic as the return trip.
"I get stuck in a traffic jam for 30-40 minutes on the DND Flyway loop. It is a frustrating experience to navigate the stretch every day. Many a times, I don't see traffic cops at the spot to facilitate smoother vehicular movement," she said.
DCP (traffic) Yamuna Prasad acknowledged that traffic jams were a persistent problem on the stretch.
"When DND Flyway was developed, traffic volume was 70,000 vehicles, but it has increased to 2.7 lakh vehicles per day. This converges with traffic coming from Akshardham and Mayur Vihar via Chilla border. Nearly 1 lakh vehicles come from Chilla border and 70,000 from Kalindi Kunj. Thus, the Noida Expressway handles nearly 5 lakh vehicles per day," he said on Saturday.
About the loop, the DCP said that police were in talks with Noida Authority officials to widen the loop as a "short-term measure".
"The Chilla elevated road will ease the situation as a long-term measure," he said, adding that diverting traffic to Sector 16 was not viable as most people prefer shorter routes.
The Chilla elevated road project is a 5.5km, six-lane road that will link Delhi's Mayur Vihar with Mahamaya Flyover on Noida-Greater Noida Expressway. But the project has been delayed for years.
In June this year, the Uttar Pradesh State Bridge Corporation Ltd (UPSBC) selected a contractor for its development with an estimated cost of Rs 938 crore, an increase from the project's revised budget of Rs 787 crore.
A Noida Authority official said that clarification has been sought from the state govt about the additional Rs 151 crore required beyond the approved budget for the elevated road project. "We will start the project work once we receive updates from Lucknow," he said.