DME-NH-9 cut reopens after new lane fixes snarls

Ghaziabad: The National Highways Authority of India has reopened a traffic cut near the merger of the Delhi–Meerut Expressway and National Highway 9, close to IPEM College, after adding an extra lane on the Delhi–Dasna carriageway of the expressway.The cut, created to provide access to Crossings Republik, had been shut in Nov last year following persistent congestion. Officials said the exit, located at the 18.6-kilometre mark between Vijay Nagar and the ABES underpass, had turned into one of the expressway's worst choke points as high-speed traffic from the expressway and NH-9 was funnelled into a narrow opening, triggering daily tailbacks.
On Tuesday, an NHAI official said the cut was shut last year to allow space to be created at the merger point. "Earlier, there was only one carriageway at the exit. We have now added an extra lane, which will allow smoother movement on the expressway while restoring connectivity to Crossings Republik," the official said.However, the official added that the work is only partially complete. To create the additional lane at the exit, NHAI temporarily reduced the width of NH-9. "We have encroached on the four-lane NH-9 to carve out a 4.2-metre-wide lane for the merger. As a result, NH-9 has been left with three lanes instead of four. The next phase will restore the lost lane, but that will take time because of underground utilities and an open drain that need to be shifted and covered," the official said.Residents told TOI the reopening has brought immediate relief. "When the cut was closed, it took 35 to 40 minutes to reach home from Delhi," said Prabhakar Mishra, a resident of Crossings Republik. "Now we can shift from the expressway to NH-9 smoothly and reach home in about 10 minutes using the ABES underpass."The access point was introduced in 2024 at the request of residents, but soon emerged as a major bottleneck and was flagged as accident-prone due to the narrow exit from the expressway, which allowed only one vehicle to pass at a time. "Traffic from NH-9 heading towards Ghaziabad merged at the same point, while queues quickly built up on the Meerut-bound side of the expressway. Drivers often switched lanes to bypass the jam, eventually clogging all lanes," another resident said.Together, the expressway and NH-9 handle nearly 4lakh passenger car units (PCU) a day, including around 50,000 PCU on the expressway alone.The DME is designed to offer a fast, signal-free commute between Sarai Kale Khan and Meerut, with limited, controlled access to NH-9. Officials say the remaining work at the junction is aimed at ensuring the access does not once again compromise traffic flow on either road.Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Holi wishes, messages and quotes !