Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday reviewed the progress of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway (DME) covering the States of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. The 1,380 kilometres long Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is being developed at a cost of Rs 98,000 crores.
Addressing media in Sohna, Gadkari said, “Delhi-Katra expressway will be launched in two years, to reduce the distance from 727 to 572 kilometres, you will reach Katra from Delhi in six hours. We are also working on new roads from Delhi-Chandigarh, Delhi-Dehradun and Delhi-Haridwar, to take you there in two hours.”
The 1,380 kilometres long Delhi Mumbai expressway will be the longest expressway in India. Out of 1,380 kilometres, contracts for more than 1,200 kilometres have already been awarded and are under progress.
It will enhance connectivity between Delhi and Mumbai. The expressway will connect the urban centres of Delhi through the Delhi-Faridabad-Sohna section of the corridor along with a spur to Jewar Airport and Jawaharlal Nehru Port to Mumbai through a spur in Mumbai.
In addition, the expressway which passes through the six states of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra will improve the connectivity to economic hubs like Jaipur, Kishangarh, Ajmer, Kota, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Bhopal, Ujjain, Indore, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat bringing economic prosperity to millions.
As part of NHAI’s commitment towards environment conservation, over two million trees and shrubs are planned to be planted along the highway. The Delhi-Mumbai expressway is the first in Asia and only the second in the world to feature animal overpasses in order to facilitate unrestricted movement of wildlife.
Delhi Mumbai Expressway project has also created employment for thousands of trained civil engineers as well as more than 50 Lakh Man days of work.
Delhi Mumbai Expressway, envisaged under the vision of Prime Minister’s ‘New India’, was kick-started in 2018 with the foundation stone being laid on March 9, 2019.