On September 17, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari concluded the two-day review of the work progress on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway.
The upcoming 1380 kilometres eight-lane expressway will reduce travel time between Mumbai to Delhi to 12-12.5 hours from the current 24 hours, and is one of the most signicant infrastructure projects in the country in recent times.
Over the two days to review the projects progress, Mr. Gadkari toured Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
The ambitious project, touted to be the world’s longest roadway, is being constructed at a cost of Rs 98,000 crore and is scheduled for completion by March 2023. The first phase of the highway between Delhi-Jaipur is likely to be opened early next year. According to Mr. Gadkari, the Centre will get toll revenues worth Rs 1,000 to 1,500 crore every month once the expressway becomes fully operational in 2023.
The projects foundation stone was laid in March 2019.
Key Features Of The Mumbai-Delhi Expressway
- 80 lakh tonnes of cement and over 12 lakh tonnes of steel will be consumed by the expressway
- Apart from connecting the two major capital cities of India, Mumbai and Delhi, the project is expected to improve connectivity to the smaller economic hubs of India like Jaipur, Kota Udaipur, Indore and Ahmedabad via spur routes
- The expressway will also feature a spur to the upcoming Noida International Airport and the Jawaharlal Nehru Port to Mumbai for increased cross-connectivity through seaThe total length of the project is 1,380 kilometres and spreads out over 15000 hectares of land.
- The expressway will have eight-lanes, which can be expanded to a 12-lane access-controlled expressway depending on the traffic
- The expressway will also have a number of suporting establishements and amenities including resorts, food courts, restaurants, fuel stations, logistics parks and truckstops.
- A dedicated heliport and helicopter ambulance service is also in the works
- The project will result in annual savings of more than 320 million litres of fuel as well as reduce Carbon dioxide emissions by 850 million kg
The plan was also put in place keeping ecosensitivity in mind. Over two million trees and shrubs are to be planted along the stretch. The expresswat is also only the worlds second to include overpasses to facilitate unrestricted movement of wildlife.
As a direct result of the project, job opportunities for thousands of engineers and construction workers have been created, contributing to the local economies of the states and boosting the national economy of the country as a whole.