Noida: The 400-metre skywalk linking Sector 51 and Sector 52 metro stations will not open for at least a month and a half. NMRC officials said the structure is complete, but a beam at Sector 51 station is blocking its entry point.“After reviewing two options — shifting the beam or altering the foot overbridge route — we have decided against removing the beam as the metro structure had been designed for long-term use,” Noida Authority CEO and NMRC managing director Krishna Karunesh said. “NMRC and DMRC have approved the second option and we are now modifying the foot-overbridge route. It will take one month or one and a half months more to complete the process.”When the Aqua Line metro station first became operational in 2019, a covered walkway linked the two stations. It was later dismantled to facilitate construction work, forcing commuters to walk the 400-metre stretch in the open, often under harsh weather conditions and with heavy traffic obstructing their path.The stretch along the walkway is also encroached on by street vendors selling juice, lemonade and books, in addition to autos and e-rickshaws that routinely block the path. The three-wheelers, which were relocated from outside the Sector 52 station, where they earlier picked up passengers, now occupy the roadside between the two stations.The delay has compounded commuter woes on this busy stretch of the interchange.“The ongoing mall construction between the two stations has led to barricading with iron sheets that further choked the access, leaving behind a narrow and poorly managed stretch. During the recent rains, the area had become waterlogged, forcing us to walk on bricks to navigate the stretch. There is no traffic regulation either,” a daily commuter said.The L-shaped, air-conditioned skywalk, equipped with travelators, was launched in March 2023 with a one-year completion target. The Authority has spent Rs 40 crore on the project. However, it had multiple hurdles, including construction curbs imposed by National Green Tribunal during winter. The skywalk was also initially planned with a single-pillar structure, but the discovery of an underground metro cable during excavation led to a redesign with a two-column support system.
