The Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari recently announced that the nation has achieved something unprecedented during the fifth Ayodhya celebration. He stated that Haridwar can now be reached in just 90 minutes from Delhi, while Dehradun will be only two hours away from the capital. This will significantly reduce the need for flights for people travelling to Dehradun. The construction of the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway is progressing quickly, and it is expected to be completed by December 2023.
The current road distance from Delhi to Dehradun is around 235 kilometres, which will be reduced to 210 kilometres when the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway opens in December this year. The 212-kilometer Delhi-Dehradun Expressway is estimated to cost roughly Rs 12,000 crore. Yesterday, Union Minister Gadkari performed an aerial reconnaissance of the six-lane Greenfield Expressway and revealed that 60-70 percent of the expressway’s construction work has been done.
The Delhi-Dehradun Expressway is divided into four parts and is being built on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway (DME) at Akshardham in Delhi, Shastri Park, Khajuri Khas, Khekra in Mandola, Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh, Shamli, Saharanpur and Dehradun in Uttarakhand. The path from Ganeshpur to Dehradun has been made wildlife-friendly with several unique provisions. This greenfield motorway has a 12-kilometer elevated road, six animal underpasses, two elephant underpasses, two major bridges and 13 minor bridges.
Overall, the construction of the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway will significantly reduce travel time for people travelling between Delhi and Dehradun. It will also provide a more comfortable and convenient mode of transportation, reducing the need for flights. The wildlife-friendly provisions incorporated into the construction of the expressway show a commitment to preserving the environment and making travel more sustainable.
