Delhi-Mumbai Expressway Faces Major Setback: Full Completion Now Expected In 2026

The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, which is expected to reduce travel time between the two cities to 12 hours, has faced further delays, according to a Jagran report. The Minister of State (MoS) for Road Transport and Highways, Harsh Malhotra, announced on Friday that the expressway will now be completed by 2026. Originally, it was expected to be finished by January 2023. The project has encountered repeated delays due to technical and logistical issues.

Harsh Malhotra explained that one of the main causes of the delays is land acquisition, particularly from the general public. "Work is progressing, but technical and practical problems, especially with land acquisition, have caused setbacks," he said. The project, which started in March 2019, has had multiple changes to its completion date.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari also mentioned challenges in building the Delhi-Vadodara section. He shared that experts from IIT Kharagpur are investigating damages in parts of the Sohna-Dausa section caused by heavy monsoon rains. Contractors are repairing the damages at their own cost, and strict action will be taken if any faults are found.

The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is partially operational. The first section, connecting Sohna in Haryana to Dausa in Rajasthan, was opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February 2023. Another section in Rajasthan was opened earlier this week.

The expressway will cover 1,386 kilometres and will link Delhi to the Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Maharashtra, passing through Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. Once finished, the expressway will cut down the travel time between Delhi and Mumbai from 24 hours to just 12 hours.

In addition to connecting Delhi and Mumbai, the expressway will also make travel between Delhi and other cities, such as Jaipur, much quicker-taking only three hours. This project aims to improve connectivity, reduce logistics costs, and promote economic growth across several states.