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The Delhi-Dehradun Expressway is scheduled to open by December 2024, reducing travel time to 2.5 hours. The link to Haridwar will be ready by May 2025.
PM Modi has instructed the ministry to ensure timely completion of the project without any delays.
Delhi-Dehradun Expressway status: Come December 2024, you may be able to travel between Delhi and Dehradun in just 2.5 hours! The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) plans to open the New Delhi-Dehradun Expressway for traffic by December. The same has been communicated to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the road transport ministry officials during a recent meeting.
However, the link connecting the expressway to Haridwar only will be ready by May 2025. The Prime Minister instructed the ministry to ensure timely completion of the project without any delays.
Sources told TOI recently that all land-related issues have been resolved, and the NHAI has committed to finishing the remaining work on the Delhi-Dehradun expressway within the next four months.
The access-controlled link from the expressway to Haridwar was a later addition to the project, and the NHAI will require an additional five months to complete it.
Delhi-Dehradun Expressway: Top Facts
- Once finished, the travel time from Akshardham in Delhi to Dehradun will be reduced to just two and a half hours, compared to the current six hours. Similarly, commuters will be able to reach Haridwar from Delhi in two hours.
- The 264-km expressway and the Haridwar link, with a total cost of around Rs 14,285 crore, are fully funded by the government. The project boasts special features, including “Asia’s longest elevated wildlife corridor (12 km) and animal underpass,” which aim to minimize man-animal conflict in the Rajaji National Park and Shiwalik Reserve forest areas.
- NHAI sources have indicated that the first leg of the expressway, stretching from Akshardham to the Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) interchange, is expected to be operational by November this year.
- This section passes through areas such as Geeta Colony, Shastri Park, and Sonia Vihar in Delhi, as well as Vijay Vihar, Kasim Vihar, and Mandola in Uttar Pradesh. The opening of this stretch is anticipated to provide relief to many commuters from daily traffic congestion.
- The Delhi-EPE access-controlled section, spanning 32 kilometers, includes an impressive 19 kilometers of elevated roadway. This elevated portion is designed to accommodate through traffic, while the six-lane service road below will cater to local traffic needs.
- The Delhi-Dehradun expressway will offer seven entry points for vehicles traveling from Delhi to Uttar Pradesh, located at Akshardham, Geeta Colony, Shamshan Ghat (Kailash Nagar), Sonia Vihar, Vijay Vihar, and Mandola. Exits will be provided at Khajuri Chowk, Sonia Vihar, Vijay Vihar, and Mandola.
- On the other hand, traffic moving from Uttar Pradesh to Delhi will have entry points at Mandola, Vijay Vihar, and 5th Pusta, with exits available at Mandola, Loni, Vijay Vihar, Usmanpur, Shamshan Ghat (Kailash Nagar), Geeta Colony, and Akshardham. Commuters entering and exiting the expressway within Delhi will be exempt from paying tolls, according to an ET report.
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