Snapshot
29 long Dwarka Expressway connecting Dwarka in Delhi to Gurugram in Haryana eases traffic congestion on the existing Delhi – Gurugram highway.
This project taken up at a total cost of Rs 9,000 crore includes many ‘firsts’ for India’s infrastructure sector.
Dwarka Expressway is India’s first elevated urban expressway. It also includes India’s longest and widest urban road tunnel.
A first of its kind 34 metre wide 8-lane highway is being constructed on a single pier under this project.
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has said Dwarka Expressway connecting Dwarka in Delhi to Gurugram in Haryana will be operational in 2023.
The expressway begins from Shiv-Murti on NH-8 (Delhi-Gurugram expressway) and ends near Kherki Daula Toll Plaza, through Dwarka Sector 21, Gurugram border, and Basai.
Also known as the Northern Peripheral Road, Dwarka Expressway is being developed as India’s first elevated urban expressway.
Being developed at a total cost of Rs 9,000 crore, it is a 16-lane access-controlled highway with the provision of a three-lane service road on both sides.
While its 19 km length falls in Haryana, the remaining 10 km is in Delhi. The expressway is being constructed under the Union government’s flagship Bharatmala Project.
Dwarka Expressway will reduce pressure on the Delhi – Gurgaon highway and arterial roads that experience severe traffic congestion, primarily from the commuters of West Delhi.
Around 50 to 60 per cent of traffic on the existing road to Gurgaon will be diverted onto the new expressway, thereby improving traffic movement towards Sohna Road, Golf Course Road, and air extension.
Delhi-Gurugram section of National Highway-8, a part of Delhi-Jaipur-Ahmedabad-Mumbai arm of Golden Quadrilateral (GQ), is presently carrying traffic of over three lakh Passenger Car Units (PCUs), which is much beyond design capacity of this 8-lane highway, leading to severe congestion.
Once completed, Dwarka Expressway provides direct access to the upcoming India International Convention Centre (IICC) in Sector 25 of Dwarka and offers alternate connectivity to IGI Airport through a shallow tunnel.
Dwarka Expressway includes four multi-level interchanges at major junctions, including India’s longest (3.6 km) and widest (eight-lane) urban road tunnel.
Terming it as an engineering ace, union minister Gadkari said that Dwarka Expressway includes a first of its kind 34 metre wide 8-lane highway constructed on a single pier.
“This project is estimated to consume 2 lakh MT of steel, 30 times of steel used in Eiffel Tower and 20 lakh cu.m of concrete, six times of concrete used in Burj Khalifa for its construction,” Nitin Gadkari said.
“The state-of-the-art Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) like Advanced Traffic Management System, Toll Management System, CCTV Cameras, Surveillance etc. would be part and parcel of this upcoming world class corridor,” he added.