Dwarka Expressway: All key features of India's new 'engineering marvel'
What's the story
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari shared visuals of the newly-built Dwarka Expressway, India's first eight-lane elevated motorway, on Sunday.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the top Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader labeled the Delhi-Gurugram expressway a "marvel of engineering" and a "state-of-the-art journey into the future."
Here is everything you need to know about the Dwarka Expressway.
Details
Improving connectivity between Delhi, Haryana
Besides having an eight-lane elevated motorway, the Dwarka Expressway is an impressive 563-kilometer stretch connecting the Kherki Daula Toll Plaza in Gurugram to Shiv Murti in Delhi on National Highway (NH) 8.
This ambitious project also significantly improves connectivity between Delhi and Haryana.
In addition, 1,200 trees were replanted for this project, and three-lane service lanes have been built on both sides of the expressway.
More details
Expressway to improve travel times
Once completed, the expressway is set to reduce the travel time for commuters drastically.
As per Gadkari's video, people will be able to travel to Haryana's Manesar from Delhi's Dwarka in just 15 minutes and to the Indira Gandhi International Airport from Manesar in 20 minutes.
The travel time from the Singhu border to Dwarka and Manesar will become 25 minutes and 45 minutes, respectively.
Additionally, the expressway will enhance the connectivity of Dwarka's International Convention Center in Sector 25.
Twitter Post
Check out Gadkari's post on X
Marvel of Engineering: The Dwarka Expressway! A State-of-the-Art Journey into the Future 🛣#DwarkaExpressway #PragatiKaHighway #GatiShakti pic.twitter.com/Qhgd77WatW
— Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) August 20, 2023
What Next?
Expressway's engineering feats surpass Eiffel Tower, Burj Khalifa
Another noteworthy feat is that the Dwarka Expressway is built with 200,000 metric tons of steel and two million cubic meters of cement concrete.
To put that into context, the amount of steel used is 30 times more than that in the Eiffel Tower in France, while the cement concrete is six times more than that used for the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
Insights
Overcoming challenges with innovative solutions during construction
Despite facing numerous engineering and construction challenges, the project team successfully completed the Dwarka Expressway by employing innovative solutions.
For instance, they created entry points on the service lanes on both sides of the expressway to prevent traffic congestion.
The expressway is also unique as it is the first project in India where 1,200 trees were replanted, according to Times Now.
Further details
CAG report flags cost escalation in expressway's construction
However, the project has been called into question after a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) flagged cost escalation in the Dwarka Expressway's construction.
The CAG claimed that the expressway was constructed at a "very high" price of Rs. 250.77 crore per kilometer, beyond the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs' approved Rs. 18.2 crore per kilometer budget, per News18.
The report also alleged the Road Transport and Highways Ministry approved the construction without a Detailed Project Report (DPR).