Delhi-Dehradun Expressway to reduce travel time by 4 hours

Delhi-Dehradun expressway project work to start soon. The distance between the two cities will be reduced from 235 km to 210 km and travel time from the current 6.5 hours to just 2.5 hours once the project of this expressway get completed.

The Delhi-Dehradun Expressway will be the country's first such highway where there will be a 12 km long elevated corridor for the protection of wildlife. The ministry has decided to execute the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway project under Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) mode, according to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Wayside amenities have been provisioned every 25 to 30 km in a bid to enhance the road user experience. The ministry said that to enable pay toll, closed toll mechanism would be adopted, only to the extent of highway used.

The expressway between Delhi-Dehradun is expected to boost the economy of the region being served by the highway, especially giving a boost to Uttarakhand's tourism industry. The entire length from Akshardham in Delhi to Dehradun will be divided into four different sections for the implementation of the project.

Section 1 of this expressway project would start from Akshardham Temple and pass via Geeta colony, Mandola, Khajurikhas, etc. This highway is expected to decongest northeast Delhi as well as enhance the development potential of Tronica city, Mandola Vihar Yojana of Uttar Pradesh government.

Section 2 of this project is planned as six lane and the entire length is greenfield, passing via Muzaffarnagar, Shamli, Baghpat and Saharanpur districts. The process of land acquisition is going on and environment clearance has been sought.

Section 3 of the project starts from the Saharanpur bypass and it ends at Ganeshpur. Recently, the entire length was four laned by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). To make it fully access controlled in order to achieve minimum 100 km per hour speed, necessary underpasses and service road are being planned.

Section 4 would be six laned with access controlled. This section passes primarily through Reserve Forest in UP and Uttarakhand. Due to wildlife concerns, ROW is restricted to 25 metres in general. Wildlife and Forest clearances have already been obtained.