NOIDA: As the Noida International Airport opens on March 28, the govt plans several infrastructure projects to make travel from NCR cities and nearby western UP districts easier.A 31-kilometre link road connecting the airport to the Delhi-Faridabad-Ballabhgarh-Sohna stretch of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, being developed by NHAI at a revised cost of Rs 3,631 crore, approved by the Union Cabinet on March 10. The seven-kilometre Noida section of the link road is complete and already connects via a loop to the Yamuna Expressway, providing direct airport access. The remaining Haryana stretch is likely to be ready by 2027.Previously, airport-bound vehicles exited at the Jewar toll plaza and took the Sikandrabad-Jewar road, that route will primarily serve cargo once the stretch is completed.A cloverleaf interchange between the Eastern Peripheral Expressway and the Yamuna Expressway near Jaganpur-Afzalpur was also conceived in 2019 but has since been delayed over land disputes, farmer protests, and cost escalations. It is now scheduled for completion by June 2027. Once operational, it will benefit travellers from Palwal, Panipat, Meerut, and Greater Noida to get direct access to the airport.In Noida, the Authority is developing a 1.4-kilometre elevated road linking Mahamaya Flyover to the Yamuna Pushta road from Sector 94, aimed at decongesting the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway. A separate 5.7-kilometre Chilla Elevated Road, running parallel to the Mayur Vihar-Noida link up to Mahamaya Flyover, is 46% complete and expected to be ready by 2027.A proposed Ghaziabad-Noida-Jewar RRTS corridor, in the longer term, would provide a high-speed rail alternative to road travel. The project currently remains on hold, with its detailed project report still awaiting central govt approval.Until these projects materialise, cars, cabs, and shuttles heading to the Noida International Airport will funnel through the 165-kilometre Yamuna Expressway, connecting Pari Chowk in Greater Noida to Agra via Jewar. Commuters from Noida and Delhi will travel via the Chilla border, DND Flyway or Kalindi Kunj, proceed along the 25-kilometre Noida Expressway, and merge onto the Yamuna Expressway at Pari Chowk. Travel time from Noida Film City in Sector 16A to the airport is estimated around 90 minutes.
