Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, Harsh Malhotra, on May 17, reviewed the development of the 210-kilometer Delhi-Dehradun Expressway. Officials from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), who were present during the inspection, reported that the remaining sections of the major project are expected to be completed within the next 2 to 3 months. Once completed, the expressway is projected to reduce travel time from 6.5 hours to just 2.5 hours.
The construction of the route is done at a cost of Rs 12,000 crore. The route starts from Akshardham and then links Shamli, Baghpat, and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh. A section of 3.4 kilometres in Dehradun, between Datkali and Asharodi, is already part of the project and running. This route have 113 underpasses, 5 railway overbridges, 76 km of access roads, 16 entrance/exit locations, 29 km on elevated lanes, and 62 bus shelters. It also includes a 340-metre three-lane tunnel at Datkali in Dehradun.
Mohammed Saifi, who is the Regional Officer of the NHAI Delhi Region, said that construction of the elevated road to the Uttar Pradesh border is finished. Testing is now completed, and the finished report should be issued within two weeks. The opening of the expressway is set for late June or the beginning of July, various sources say.
Once this route is open to the public, it will boost connectivity and the tourism sector. It will make travel easier for the people of Delhi, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh.
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