Snapshot
The 1,380 km long Delhi Mumbai Expressway (DME) is the country’s longest expressway and is scheduled to be ready by March 2023.
In Rajasthan, a 374 km long stretch is being built as part of DME at the cost of Rs 16,600 crore.
An additional spur from Bundikui to Jaipur is planned to complete the Delhi – Jaipur Expressway and reduce the commute time between Delhi and Jaipur from four to less than two hours.
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, reviewed the progress of work on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway (DME) at Sohna in Haryana, Dausa and Bundi in Rajasthan, Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh.
The 1,380 km long Delhi Mumbai Expressway is the country’s longest expressway and is scheduled to be ready by March 2023.
The greenfield expressway is expected to halve the commute time between Delhi and Mumbai from nearly 24 hours to 12 hours and shorten the distance by 130 km.
A World-Class Expressway In Rajasthan
In Rajasthan, a 374 km long stretch is being built as part of DME at the cost of Rs 16,600 crore.
Gadkari said this expressway would help develop Alwar, Bharatpur, Dausa, Sawai Madhopur, Tonk, Bundi and Kota districts.
Key interchanges have been planned along the corridor to enhance the connectivity of the corridor with existing highway networks through interchanges along the expressway. One such marquee interchange is situated near Dausa and will connect the expressway with the existing Agra-Jaipur Highway.
In addition, an additional spur from Bundikui to Jaipur is planned to complete the Delhi – Jaipur Expressway and reduce the commute time between Delhi and Jaipur from four to less than two hours.
The expressway passes through some world-famous sanctuaries like Ranthambore Tiger Reserve and Chambal sanctuary.
Thus multiple steps have been taken to ensure minimal impact to the ecosystem. The expressway is the first in Asia and second in the world to feature animal overpasses to facilitate unrestricted wildlife movement.
The DME will have overpasses with a combined length of 7 km dedicated for unencumbered wildlife movement.
The expressway also includes India’s first four km long eight-lane tunnel, which will tunnel through Mukundra sanctuary without disturbing the endangered fauna in the region.
In Rajasthan, DME will have 28 wayside amenities located strategically to provide world-class amenities to commuters while also generating employment opportunities.
All the Rajasthan packages are in progress with the Delhi – Jaipur (Dausa)- Lalsot section of 214 km targeted to be completed and open to traffic by March 2022. The remaining part from Lalsot to Kota is targeted to be completed by March 2023.