Delhi-Mumbai Expressway’s first phase inaugurated: Here’s how it will affect travel time between the cities

Not only that, the 1380 km long, eight-lane expressway is also set to benefit various cities along the way, cutting down travel times between them as well. The Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, earlier tweeted that the Sohna-Dausa stretch of the highway “will enable a hassle-free 2-hour journey between Delhi and Jaipur”.

Delhi Mumbai expressway map.

Work started in 2018, and the project is set to be completed by the end of 2023.

Delhi-Mumbai Expressway: Some basic details

The expressway is being constructed with an initial budget of Rs 98,000 crore. According to claims by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, it will reduce the distance between Delhi and Mumbai by 180 km (from 1424 km to 1242 km).

Depending on the volume of traffic the expressway sees, there are plans in place to expand it to a 12-lane expressway in the future. The reduction in distance and travel time is set to result in annual fuel savings of more than 320 million litres and reduce CO2 emissions by 850 million kg, the Ministry estimates. Over two million trees and shrubs are also planned to be planted along the highway.

The #Delhi_Mumbai_Expressway is the first expressway that developed with a 21-meter median on principles of forgiving highways allowing inward expansion.#PragatiKaHighway #GatiShakti #BuildingTheNation pic.twitter.com/Z4oulKM8Ko

— Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) February 9, 2023

The Ministry has acquired over 15,000 ha. of land for the project, across five states – Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra. In 2021, Gadkari had spoken on the issue of land acquisition, claiming that farmers have been paid over 1.5 times the market price for the land.

The construction itself will be a mammoth affair. It is estimated that more than 12 lakh tonnes of steel will be consumed in the construction of the expressway – equivalent to building 50 Howrah bridges. Not only that, 80 lakh tonnes of cement will be consumed for the project, which is approximately 2 per cent of India’s annual cement production capacity, the Ministry has claimed.

The project has also created employment for thousands of trained civil engineers and more than 50 lakh man-days of work.

Unique features of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway

Importantly, the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is set to introduce certain features seldom seen in road construction in India. According to claims from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the expressway will boast a state-of-art traffic management system.

There will also be a dedicated three-metre-wide corridor for laying utility lines including fibre optic cables, pipelines as well as solar power generation.

The expressway will also have provisions for rainwater harvesting at intervals of 500 m, with over 2000+ water recharge points.

Provisions for wildlife conservation

A crucial feature of the project will be its provisions for “wildlife conservation”. The expressway is the first in Asia and only the second in the world to feature animal overpasses and underpasses to facilitate unrestricted movement of wildlife. Furthermore, the expressway has been aligned in a way to minimise destruction of protected forests.

We must do good for wildlife preservation. For the shielding of Wildlife Habitats, we are constructing overpasses, underpasses, and boundary walls on the #Delhi_Mumbai_Expresssway.#BuildingTheNation #PragatiKaHighway #GatiShakti pic.twitter.com/Qa8WIUW9Rv

— Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) February 10, 2023

Two iconic 8-lane tunnels will also be built, one through Mukundra sanctuary without disturbing the endangered fauna in the region and the second through the Matheran eco-sensitive zone.

A 3 ft-tall boundary wall and sound barriers will also be constructed in sections prone to wildlife.

Haryana

More than 160 km stretch of the expressway which passes through Haryana is being built at a cost of Rs 10,400 crore. “This corridor will improve connectivity in Nuh and Palwal through multiple interchanges to connect the expressway with major highways like KMP and DND Sohna. To address the serious problem of air pollution and traffic congestion in Delhi-NCR, the ministry is undertaking 15 projects worth Rs 53,000 crore, of which 14 projects have been initiated. This expressway will lead to a reduction of 27 per cent in vehicular pollution in Delhi,” Gadkari said in 2021.

At least 73 villages in this region will benefit from this stretch.

Rajasthan

Of the total expressway, 374 km passes through the state of Rajasthan and the section is being built at a total capital cost of more than 16,600 crores.

The corridor will pass through the districts of Alwar, Bharatpur, Dausa, Sawai Madhopur, Tonk, Bundi and Kota. Multiple bridges are being built across the rivers of the state like the Banganga river, Banas river, Mezriver and Chambal river. A 1,100-m-long elevated stretch has been planned across the Chakan Dam which will be an engineering marvel.

Madhya Pradesh

The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway will pass through Madhya Pradesh (nearly 250km) and is being constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 8,500 crore.

According to officials, the eight-lane Delhi-Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway would pass through western MP covering a 102.4 km area stretch in Mandsaur, 90.1 km in Ratlam and 52 km in Jhabual.

Gujarat

As a part of the expressway project, 60 major bridges, 17 interchanges, 17 flyovers and eight road over bridges (ROBs) will be built in Gujarat. 33 wayside amenities are also proposed to be built on this expressway to provide world-class transport facilities as well as generate employment opportunities in the state.