Delhi-Mumbai Expressway trial run begins: New route to Faridabad, Jaipur

The month-long trials aim to assess readiness before the official opening, easing traffic on Mathura Road and offering smoother commutes from Delhi and Noida.

A carriageway of the recently constructed Delhi section of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway has opened for trials, allowing commuters to enter the corridor through the Ring Road and DND Flyway at Sarai Kale Khan-Maharani Bagh and move towards Faridabad in Haryana via Jaitpur and Meethapur in south Delhi, three senior traffic police officers said on Saturday.

Commuters can enter the corridor through Ring Road and DND Flyway at Sarai Kale Khan. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

The trial run started on Friday and is likely to continue for a month to test operational readiness before it is formally inaugurated, officers aware of the matter said. Additional commissioner of police (Traffic) Dinesh Kumar Gupta said, “The trials are being conducted to assess the road and traffic arrangements before full opening. As of now, the trials are only on the carriageway going towards Faridabad via Jaitpur. Once operational, the corridor is expected to give commuters travelling towards Faridabad and Jaipur from Delhi and Noida a smooth and traffic-free drive. It will also help in curbing traffic snarls on the Mathura Road.”

9-km Delhi stretch under trial

Officers said this will lighten the load on Mathura Road, overburdened by traffic moving from Uttar Pradesh to Haryana, giving respite to residents of south Delhi’s New Friends Colony, Sukhdev Vihar, Sarita Vihar, and Kalindi Kunj. The corridor will also give respite to commuters travelling from Noida and Ghaziabad, as they can avoid the perennially congested Kalindi Kunj, they said.

Although the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has not officially announced the trial run, an official from the agency said, “The road is ready for public use on a trial basis. The date of formal inauguration cannot be commented upon.” A traffic police officer cited above said the expressway’s section in Delhi is nearly nine kilometres long, with about 7.5km elevated and the rest at ground level, including a 140-metre-long structure over the Agra Canal.

The corridor has two entry and exit points in Delhi -- at Jaitpur and at Meethapur. An NHAI engineer deployed on the road said, “As of now, we have kept the entry-exit points closed in Delhi during the trials, and only motorists travelling to Faridabad and beyond are being asked to use the corridor. The points may be opened during further trials. Motorists are being asked to maintain a speed of 40kmph.”

A second officer said that two traffic personnel have been deployed at the corridor’s zero point to guide motorists intending to use the route towards Faridabad and Jaipur. “Not many motorists used the corridor on the first day of trials on Friday. The number increased on Saturday,” the officer said.