Delhi-Mumbai expressway to be ready by 2021, cut down travel time by 50%
Work on the Delhi-Mumbai express highway is expected to complete by December 2021 (Representational Image)
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday announced that a new express highway connecting Delhi and Mumbai will be built at a cost of Rs 1 lakh crore.
“A sum of Rs 1 lakh crore will be spent on the expressway. Nitin Gadkari outlined major initiatives for de-congestion of Delhi NCR. A total of ten projects are underway costing Rs 35,600 crore,” the ministry of road transport and highways said in a statement.
The highway will reduce the distance between the two pivotal cities by almost 200 km, to 1,250 km from the current 1,450 km, and cut down the travel time in half, from the current 24 hours to around 12 hours.
The Delhi-Mumbai express highway will pass through Gurgaon, Mewat, Kota, Ratlam, Godhra, Vadodara, Surat and Dahisar.
The project is expected to cost less than other similar highways as it will pass through a number of underdeveloped regions, which will significantly reduce the overall land acquisition cost.
To speed up construction of the Delhi-Mumbai expressway, work will reportedly start at 40 different lcoations simultaneously. The highway is expected to be ready by December 2021.
The transport and highways minister also talked about plans to build Chambal expressway that would be connected to the Delhi-Mumbai expressway. The Chambal expressway will benefit states like Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
“This entire expressway will bring development to the undeveloped regions and hinterland in Rajasthan, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh to spur growth and some backward areas will also shine like Gurugram,” Gadkari was quoted saying.
The minister added that industrial and commercial development will generate jobs and help decentralise development.
About 40,000 commercial vehicles enter Delhi on a daily basis, which causes pollution and congestion in the city state, Gadkari, who is also holding the portfolio of water resources and Ganga rejuvenation, said in the statement.
An ambitious scheme of developing Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressways around Delhi was taken up, and the Eastern Peripheral Expressway will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 29.
