2.5-hr travel time, minimum speed of 100kmph: All you need to know about the Delhi-Dehradun expressway

In this year’s Budget, the Centre had allocated an amount of ₹1.18 lakh crore for the highways sector with Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman adding that execution of flagship highways corridors, as well as projects, would speed up.

Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday that the transport ministry had approved the new Delhi-Dehradun expressway, which is worth ₹13,000 crore. Gadkari said that the expressway would also have 10 elevated roads and the distance between the two cities could be covered in a time period of 3-3.15 hours.

This will be the first expressway in India which will have a 12km long elevated corridor for protecting wildlife. (ANI file photo. Representative image)

In this year’s Budget, the Centre had allocated an amount of ₹1.18 lakh crore for the highways sector with Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman adding that execution of flagship highways corridors, as well as projects, would speed up. “I am... providing an enhanced outlay of ₹1,18,101 lakh crore for the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, of which ₹1,08,230 crore is for capital, the highest ever,” Sitharaman had said during her budget speech on February 1. Apart from the Delhi-Dehradun expressway, work will also start for the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway among others.

According to an official release of the transport ministry, the Delhi-Saharanpur-Dehradun Economic corridor, which is currently under construction, is expected to be operational in nearly two years from now.

1. The distance between Delhi and Dehradun will be reduced from 235 kilometres to 210km and the travel time would also reduce from 6.5 hours to 2.5 hours.

2. The minimum driving speed will be 100km/hour.

3. This will be the first expressway in India which will have a 12km long elevated corridor for protecting wildlife.

4. Wayside amenities are being placed at every 25-30km to enhance the experience of the commuters. “Closed toll mechanism would be adopted to enable pay toll only to the extent of highway used,” the release added.

5. The expressway is expected to improve the economy of the region and would also boost tourism in Uttarakhand.