Delhi-Mumbai Expressway Status: India's Longest Nears Completion, Halving Travel Time

The construction of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, set to be India's longest greenfield expressway, is scheduled for completion by October 2025, as announced in Parliament on Wednesday. The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, provided the update in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

Gadkari explained that the Ministry is overseeing the construction of the expressway in 53 segments, covering a total length of 1,386 kilometres. By June 2024, 26 of these segments had been completed, with physical progress standing at 82 per cent and 1,136 kilometres already built.

The expressway will enhance connectivity between major economic centres across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. According to the detailed project report, the new corridor is expected to shorten the distance from Delhi to the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) in Mumbai by approximately 180 kilometres and cut travel time to connected destinations by up to 50 per cent, as reported by news agency PTI.

Delhi-Mumbai Expressway Route

The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is poised to significantly slash travel time between India's two most prominent cities. Gadkari laid the foundation stone for this transformative project on March 9, 2019.

This expressway route from Mumbai to Delhi traverses through five states, encompassing Haryana (129 kilometres), Rajasthan (373 kilometres), Madhya Pradesh (244 kilometres), Gujarat (426 kilometres), and Maharashtra (171 kilometres). The construction of the Delhi-Mumbai expressway has necessitated the utilisation of over 15,000 hectares of land across these states.

Commencing from Gurgaon in Haryana, the expressway course extends through Jaipur and Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan. It then proceeds through Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh and Vadodara in Gujarat, culminating in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

The Delhi to Mumbai expressway promises to significantly enhance connectivity to key financial hubs such as Jaipur, Ajmer, Kishangarh, Kota, Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Bhopal, Ujjain, Ahmedabad, Indore, Surat, and Vadodara.

I. Delhi-Mumbai Expressway Route In Haryana

1. NH-919, Flyover interchange at Bhirawati village in Sohna
2. Western Peripheral Expressway cloverleaf interchange near Khalilpur village
3. MDR132, Flyover interchange between Nuh-Ujina on Nuh-Hodal link
4. MDR135, Interchange between Bhadas-Hathin in Bhadas
5. MDR131, Flyover interchange to the west of Pinangwan on the Moolthan-Hodal section
6. NH22, Flyover interchange east of Ferozepur Jhirka
7. Kolgaon, South of Ferozpur Jhirka

II. Delhi-Mumbai Expressway Route In Rajasthan

1. Alwar, Interchanges at NH45, NH14, and NH44
2. Rajgarh interchange at NH25A
3. NH148, Interchange on Manoharpur-Dausa highway
4. Jaipur, Intersections at NH21 and NH23
5. NH552, Sawai Madhopur interchange
6. NH29, Indragarh interchange
7. Kota, Interchanges at NH34, NH52, and NH27
8. NH9A, Rawatbhata interchange
9. NH31A, Neemuch interchange

III. Delhi-Mumbai Expressway Route In Madhya Pradesh

1. Mandsaur, interchanges at NH31 and NH14
2. Jaora
3. Ratlam and Banswara
4. Thandla

III. Delhi-Mumbai Expressway Route In Gujarat

1. Dahod
2. Godhra
3. Vadodara
4. Surat

IV. Delhi-Mumbai Expressway Route In Maharashtra

1. Valsad
2. Vapi-Silvassa
3. Virar
4. Mumbai

V. Delhi-Mumbai Expressway Sections

Section 1: DND-Faridabad-KMP Route - 59 kilometres (Nine kilometres Delhi and 50 kilometres Haryana)
Section 2: Sohna-KMP-Vadodara Route - 845 km (79 kilometres Haryana, 373 kilometres Rajasthan, 244 kilometres Madhya Pradesh and 149 kilometres Gujarat)
Section 3: Vadodara-Virar Route - 356 kilometres (277 kilometres Gujarat and 79 kilometres Maharashtra)
Section 4: Virar-JNPT Route - 92 kilometres (92 kilometres Maharashtra)

The completion of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is eagerly awaited, as it promises to revolutionise road travel and significantly boost economic activities across the regions it traverses.