Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is partially operational. The first section, connecting Sohna in Haryana with Dausa in Rajasthan, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February 2023.
The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway project, which promises to revolutionize Indian infrastructure, has faced significant delays. According to a Jagran report, there have been further delays on the Delhi-Mumbai expressway, which is expected to reduce travel time between the two cities to 12 hours. On Friday, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Harsh Malhotra announced that the expressway will now be completed by 2026. Initially, January 2023 was the completion date. Due to logistical and technical problems, the project has been delayed a lot.
According to Harsh Malhotra, one of the main reasons for the delay is acquisition of land, especially from commoners. “The work is progressing, but there are technical and practical problems, especially land acquisition,” he said. The project’s completion date has changed several times since it began in March 2019.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari also noted the difficulties in constructing the Delhi-Vadodara stretch. He revealed that experts from IIT Kharagpur are investigating the damage caused by heavy monsoon rains in many areas of the Sohna-Dausa stretch. The contractor is repairing the damage at his own expense, strict action will be taken if any fault is found.
A section of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is partially operational. In February 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first section connecting Dausa in Rajasthan with Sohna in Haryana. Earlier this week, another part was opened in Rajasthan.
At present, out of the total 1,386 km, 630 km has been opened for vehicular traffic. Notable sections include Sohna-Dausa-Sawai Madhopur (293 km) and Jhalawar-MP/Gujarat border (245 km). Officials are confident that the 845 km long road from Sohna to Vadodara will be fully operational by March 2025. Subsequent sections, connecting Mumbai’s JNPT port, Uttar Pradesh’s Jewar airport and Delhi’s DND flyway, are expected to follow.