By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, APRIL 17, 2018: IN a move to cut down on travel time between Delhi and Mumbai, the Governement is working on a greenfield expressway between two metros. The Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Mr Nitin Gadkari has announced development of a new highway alignment between Delhi and Mumbai. The project is expected to cost Rs. 1 lakh crore and will be executed over the next three years, the Minister said.

The Minister also disclosed plans for a Chambal expressway which would be connected to this Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, and is likely to benefit states like Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, where the backward areas will also shine like Gurugram.

An ambitious scheme of developing Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressways around Delhi was taken up, and the Eastern Peripheral Expressway will be inaugurated by Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi on the April 29, 2018. Similarly, to ease traffic in East Delhi, Delhi-Meerut Expressway was envisaged, and its Delhi-Dasna portion will also be inaugurated by Mr. Modi on April 29, 2018 by a road show.

Addressing a media event in New Delhi today, Mr Gadkari outlined major initiatives of his ministry for de-congestion of Delhi NCR. A total of ten projects are underway costing 35,600 crore rupees. He said, about forty thousand commercial vehicles enter Delhi on a daily basis, which cause increased pollution and congestion in the city state.

Mr Gadkari informed that work on signal free corridor from Dhaula Kuan to Airport has been awarded at a cost of 260 crore rupees. He said, eight-lane fully access-controlled Dwarka Expressway is being developed in four packages. While three packages have already been awarded, the work on the expressway is likely to start in a month's time. Total investment on the project is 9500 crore rupees. Additionally, under improvement of Mahipalpur at Rangpuri, a bypass is being envisaged to connect Dwarka or NH8. Regarding development of major junctions on NH8 in Gurugram like the flyover or underpass at IFFCO Chowk, Signature Tower intersection, Rajiv Chowk and  Hero Honda Chowk,  the Minister informed that the work, costing Rs 1000 crore, has been substantially completed.