Day 1: Picnic time along eway

A day after the Yamuna Expressway, the country's first access-controlled corridor, was opened to traffic, the road turned a picnic spot for many who took to the high-speed stretch to enjoy their Janmashtami holiday.

Families that came for long drives — after having heard and read about the road — were seen stopping along the way to click pictures on the green embankments of the road and also enjoy the scenic surroundings.

Some bikers used the highway as a racing track taking advantage of the police announcement that no one would be booked for over-speeding till Independence Day. Though no accident was reported on Day One, lack of U-turns had many driving on the wrong side of the road.

Officials of Jaypee said the number of vehicles, which used the expressway on the first day, was higher than expected. "At the toll plaza in Jewar, between 6 am and 6 pm, around 15,000 vehicles passed through. Most of these vehicles took the turn at the interchange to Mathura on account of Janmashtami, while others drove straight to Agra," Anoop Marwah, in charge of the command centre in Jewar, said.

Commuters were more than delighted with their experience on the stretch. "Normally, by the highway from the Ghaziabad side, it would take four hours to get to Mathura. I go there every year for the Janamashtami puja. But today, at the speed at which I'm going, I'll get there in half an hour or so," said Mahesh Kapoor, a motorist.

Then there were those who came from Delhi, after having read in newspapers that the expressway was toll-free till August 15. "We read reports of how good the road was and came to see it. The green embankments and the wide open spaces on either side of the road were so beautiful that we stopped to have a picnic here. The outing was a welcome break from the congested roads of Delhi," said Sanjeev Kumar, who came with his family of four.

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