The much-anticipated Delhi-Dehradun Expressway has moved a significant step closer to reality, with trial runs now underway on its first two completed sections. Officials from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) confirmed the development, marking a crucial phase before the highway's full opening, which is now expected in January.
Project Details and Timeline
The 212-kilometer expressway, built at a cost of approximately ₹12,000 crore, is designed to drastically reduce the travel time between the national capital and the Uttarakhand hills. Once fully operational, the journey duration is projected to fall from the current six hours to just about two and a half hours.
This announcement follows a statement made by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, in Parliament on December 17. The minister had indicated that the expressway was likely to be inaugurated within the next 10 to 15 days. He also highlighted that the project is receiving its final touches and will eventually link with the massive Delhi-Mumbai Expressway network.
However, the project has seen its share of delays. Earlier promises of an October inauguration, declared by the minister in July and August, were missed. NHAI officials attributed the primary delay to the complex task of relocating a high-voltage power line.
"We sought time until December for shifting a 400 kV transmission line in Muzaffarnagar," an official explained. "The work is about 50% complete and should be finished by the end of this month or early next month."
Sections Open and Under Construction
The two stretches currently open for trial runs span a total of 30 kilometers. These include:
- The section from Akshardham in east Delhi to the Uttar Pradesh border near Loni in Ghaziabad.
- The connecting stretch from there to Khekra in Baghpat district, near the Eastern Peripheral Expressway.
The remaining four packages of the expressway, which are yet to be opened, will cover the route through key districts of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The breakdown of these sections is as follows:
- A 27km stretch from Khekra to Lohadda village.
- Approximately 30km from Lohadda to Karaunda Mahajan village.
- A 26km section from Karaunda Mahajan to Khyawari village.
- A 37km segment from Khyawari to Latifpur village at the Saharanpur bypass.
The expressway will finally enter Dehradun via the Biharigarh, Ganeshpur, and Asharodi route. Notably, an elevated road from Asharodi (Dehradun) to Ganeshpur is also complete and awaits inauguration.
Major Infrastructure and Amenities
Once completed, the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway will be a corridor equipped with substantial infrastructure to ensure smooth and convenient travel. Key features of the project include:
113 vehicular underpasses to facilitate uninterrupted flow of traffic.
62 bus shelters for public transport users.
A 76-kilometer service road running alongside the main carriageway.
16 entry points and 12 wayside amenities that will offer essential services like fuel stations, food courts, and rest areas to travelers.
The commencement of trial runs signals the final lap for this transformative infrastructure project. It promises to boost connectivity, promote tourism in Uttarakhand, and provide a major impetus to economic activity along its route.
