Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday (December 17) that the Delhi-Dehradun expressway, which is expected to cut travel time between the two cities from around 6.5 hours to just two hours, will be opened to the public within the next 10–15 days. Currently, the travel time between the two cities is five to six hours. Replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Gadkari said he has sought time from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the inauguration of the 212-kilometre, six-lane access-controlled expressway.
Delhi-Dehradun expressway to open in the next 10-15 days
"In the next 10–15 days, the Delhi–Dehradun Expressway will be open for traffic," the minister informed the House.
Built at a cost of about Rs 12,000 crore, the expressway is divided into four sections and starts near the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway close to Akshardham in Delhi. It passes through Shastri Park, Khajuri Khas, the Eastern Peripheral Expressway interchange at Khekra in Mandola, and districts such as Baghpat, Shamli, and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh before ending in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
12-km elevated road includes animal underpasses
Many special provisions have been incorporated to ensure environmental and wildlife safety, particularly on the Ganeshpur–Dehradun stretch.
The project includes a 12-km elevated road, six animal underpasses, two dedicated elephant underpasses, two major bridges and 13 minor bridges.
The project was approved in 2020, and Prime Minister Modi laid its foundation stone in December 2021. Once operational, the expressway is expected to significantly improve connectivity between Delhi and Uttarakhand while boosting tourism and regional development.
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