New Delhi: The 19 km Gurugram section of the long-pending 29-kilometre Dwarka Expressway connecting Mahipalpur in New Delhi with Kherki Dhaula in Gurugram is likely to be operational soon.
According to NHAI officials, the expressway will be opened in different stages. Some of the portions of the Gurugram stretch are already open for public use and it will become fully operational in January. The remaining 10 km portion in Delhi will only be ready by mid-2023, hopefully in June.
It was earlier announced by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) that this section would be fully open by December 2022. But it was delayed.
The Northern Peripheral Road or NH 248-BB, commonly called Dwarka Expressway starts from Shiv-Murti on NH-8 (Delhi-Gurugram expressway) and ends near Kherki Daula Toll Plaza, through Dwarka Sector 21, Gurugram border, and Basai. It is expected to ease the traffic situation on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway and other arterial roads.
Commenting on the project, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari earlier said the expressway, "will reduce pressure on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway (part of the Delhi-Jaipur-Ahmedabad-Mumbai arm of Golden Quadrilateral) and arterial roads that experience severe traffic congestion, primarily from the commuters of West Delhi.
Also, it is expected that nearly, 50-60 percent of the vehicles on NH-8 will be diverted onto the new expressway, easing the congestion towards Sohna Road, and Golf Course Road.
"The development of this prestigious project plays a pivotal role in the plan to decongest the capital city of Delhi. Once the Dwarka Expressway is completed, it would provide direct access to the upcoming India International Convention Centre (IICC) in Sector 25 of Dwarka and will also provide alternate connectivity to IGI Airport through the shallow tunnel," the minister added.
The authorities also hope the expressway will help reduce the air pollution in Delhi-NCR as well.
The estimated cost of the project, which is s being constructed under the Union government's flagship Bharatmala Project, is Rs 9000 crore. This highway is India’s first elevated urban expressway and includes the country's longest and widest urban road tunnel. It is a 16-lane access-controlled highway with the provision of a minimum 3-lane service road on both sides.
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