PM Modi to inaugurate first stretch of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway tomorrow
Commuters will be able to travel from Delhi to Jaipur in approximately two hours starting next week instead of four-five hours as the first section of the 1,386km greenfield Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, linking Rajasthan's Dausa to the national capital, becomes functional. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate this 229km stretch connecting Sohna (Haryana)-Dausa-Lalsot (Rajasthan) on Sunday.
Why does this story matter?
The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, which connects five states, will significantly boost the economy by generating employment when fully operational, per government officials. It is part of 17 greenfield corridors under Phase-I of the Bharatmala Pariyojana, an ecosystem of road development initiatives to provide optimized connectivity to multiple locations, with an overall span of over 9,000km at an estimated cost of Rs. 4 lakh crore.
Delhi-Mumbai Expressway to link five Indian states
The expressway is set to connect five Indian states: Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. With the Assembly polls set to be held in Congress-ruled Rajasthan later this year, some see Sunday's inauguration of the expressway's first leg as a calculated political move by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Once completed, the eight-lane expressway is also set to be India's longest expressway.
Some key features of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway
According to details provided by the Centre, there are more than 40 major interchanges on the expressway to offer connectivity to Surat, Indore, Bhopal, Kota, Jaipur, and Vadodara. Furthermore, the expressway will also have a three-meter wide corridor dedicated to laying utility lines, including pipelines, solar power generation, optical fiber cables, and a high-tech automated traffic management system for commuters.
Asia's first highway with wildlife crossing, animal overpasses
The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway will also have wayside amenities like helipads, electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, dedicated EV lanes, and trauma care centers. The Centre said it is Asia's first highway to have wildlife crossings and animal overpasses. Moreover, the top speed for all vehicles on this expressway will be set at 120kmph, enabling commuters to save fuel.
Commuters can reach Jaipur within 2.5 hours: NHAI official
Mudit Garg, Project Director of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), said, "Right now, our 246km stretch is fully ready. There is an interchange at about 180km, which goes directly to Jaipur." "The Dausa section is ready. We can reach Jaipur in about two to two-and-a-half hours," Garg was quoted as saying by the news outlet NDTV.
NHAI acquired nearly 15,000 hectares of land across five states
The NHAI acquired nearly 15,000 hectares of land across the five Indian states for the nearly 1,400km-long expressway. However, due to its greenfield alignment, the total cost of land acquisition is nearly 25% of the project's total cost, which is lower than brownfield expressways. A greenfield expressway is one that is constructed on an entirely new alignment.
Gadkari shares visuals of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway
Earlier this week, Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari took to Twitter and shared visuals of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. "For the construction of #Delhi_Mumbai_Expressway around 12 lakh tons of steel are to be consumed which is equivalent to 50 Howrah Bridges. The project is going to generate 10 Cr man-days of employment (sic)," he tweeted on Friday.
Union Road Transport Minister's Twitter post
Modi flagged off two Vande Bharat Express trains in Mumbai
Meanwhile, Modi flagged off the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT)-Solapur and CSMT-Sai Nagar Shirdi Vande Bharat Express trains on Friday in Mumbai. Even though many of these infrastructure projects have been ongoing for years, they are receiving their final touches right ahead of the general election that the saffron brigade is confident of winning and securing Modi's third term as the PM.
