Sector 18 skywalk plan set for 2016 takeoff

NOIDA: The consultant for a proposed 3km skywalk to connect the Sector 18 Metro station with its malls and market complex has submitted its feasibility report to the Noida Authority.
The elevated walkway will link key buildings, including corporate offices. "This phase will have eight corridors, each of varying lengths and width," said S C Mishra, Noida's project engineer .
"Corridors have been designed estimating the number of pedestrians likely to use each," he explained. "There are two major components of the analysis that have contributed to the skywalk alignment - existing pedestrian volumes and existing footfalls of major buildings in Sector 18," he added.
The skywalk has been proposed along nine major corridors, with four pedestrian plazas identified as major nodes. It starts from Sector 18 Metro station, passes along busy corridors of Sector 18, IRPPL, Film City over Shahdara drain and across Sab Mall, on to Captain Vijay Thapar Marg, ending at DLF Mall of India. It will have a clear width of 5m for pedestrians, with access points at every major destination at an average interval of 100m, based on a study of international design standards for skywalks. Each access point will have an escalator, lift and staircase to provide easy access to all. An elevated pedestrian plaza is proposed under the Metro corridor for recreational purposes.
In total, it will have 25 staircases, 26 escalators, 22 lifts and 30 toilet blocks, and will be supported on 135 piers. It will be illuminated by LED lights and solar powered. The total approximate cost is calculated at Rs 120 crore.
The Authority's technical cell is now examining the report and its financial viability, before it finalises the detailed project report (DPR). According to officials, modalities could be in place by end of this year and the project put on track in the New Year.
Officials added the consultant will prepare the DPR once the feasibility report is cleared by Noida chairperson and CEO Rama Raman. "Thereafter, the final report will be presented before the CCEO and viewed for objections and suggestions, following which, the draft report will be amended and a final DPR prepared," said S C Mishra, Noida's project engineer and work circle in-charge-2. "The estimate for the project will also be sent to IIT-Delhi for vetting, after which tenders will be initiated to select an agency to develop the project. We are considering construction on build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis," Mishra added.
Mishra said once everything is in place, construction could start in early 2016. "Once construction commences, work is likely to be completed in about 18 months," he said. "The aim is to provide pedestrians with greater convenience and safety in and around Sector 18.
The clutter-free elevated walkway will allow people to move around more easily in the crowded area," he said.
Mishra spoke at length to TOI on the proposed skywalk design, as per the feasibility report and draft DPR submitted by M/s Engineering and Planning Consultant.