Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari will be reviewing the progress of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway (DME) covering the States of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat on September 16-17.
As per the official release by the ministry, "Being developed at a cost of 98,000 crores, the 1,380 kilometres long Delhi Mumbai expressway will be the longest expressway in India. 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.
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. Out of the 1,380 kilometres, contracts for more than 1,200 kilometres have already been awarded and is under progress.
The new expressway is expected to halve the commute time between Delhi and Mumbai from nearly 24 hours to 12 hours and shorten the distance by 130 km. This will generate annual fuel savings of more than 320 million litres and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 850 million kilograms which is equivalent to the planting of 40 million trees. Over two million trees and shrubs are planned to be planted along the highway as part of the National Highway Authorities of India (NHAI)'s commitment towards environment conservation.
Minimizing environmental and wildlife impact has been a cornerstone for Delhi Mumbai Expressway (DME). The expressway is the first in Asia and only the second in the world to feature animal overpasses to facilitate unrestricted movement of wildlife.
The two sections of the expressway, the Delhi-Dausa - Lalsotsection which is part of the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway and the Vadodara-Ankleshwar Section which connects Vadodara to the economic hub of Bharuch are likely to open for traffic by March 2022. The complete expressway is planned to be completed by March 2023.
