32 km Delhi-Baghpat section of Delhi-Dehradun expressway opened for one month trial

The 210km Delhi–Dehradun Expressway, being constructed at a cost of ₹11,868.6 crore, was initially expected to be completed by December 2024

The first phase of the much-awaited Delhi–Dehradun Expressway, connecting Delhi’s Akshardham with the Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) near Baghpat, has been opened for trials for the general public, the Union ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) announced on Monday.

Commuters won’t be charged tolls on the stretch for the trial period. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

HT graphics.

The 32km-long initial stretch begins at Akshardham Temple, passes through Geeta Colony, Shastri Park, and Mandola Vihar in Ghaziabad, before reaching Khekra in Baghpat.

An NHAI official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that commuters will not be charged tolls for using the stretch for the one-month trial period.

The 210km Delhi–Dehradun Expressway, being constructed at a cost of ₹11,868.6 crore, was initially expected to be completed by December 2024. Once fully operational, it will reduce travel time between the two cities from approximately six hours to just two and a half hours.

Officials said the Akshardham–EPE segment will significantly ease traffic by providing a direct high-speed connection, reducing congestion for commuters travelling towards Noida and Ghaziabad. The new route is expected to divert thousands of cars from crowded existing corridors, relieving pressure on other expressways and reducing local traffic through better segregation of through-movement.

Citing officials familiar with the decision, HT had earlier reported that although this section had been ready for at least six months, it remained inaccessible because the Prime Minister’s Office wanted the entire corridor inaugurated as a whole, rather than in parts.

To support the increased mobility, NHAI is also developing new parking lots and resting facilities along the Delhi stretch between Akshardham Junction and the Uttar Pradesh border. Three such modern facilities – featuring restrooms, drinking water units, solar-powered lighting, first-aid rooms, and electronic parking systems – will come up near the East Delhi district magistrate's office, Gandhi Nagar market, and Geeta Colony. The Gandhi Nagar site, spanning 1.4 hectares, will be the largest, followed by the DM office site at 0.8 hectares and the Geeta Colony site at 0.78 hectares. Ten percent of all parking capacity will be reserved for electric vehicles. The facilities will also include food kiosks, ATMs, air-filling stations, Pollution Under Control (PUC) centres, and other permitted utilities.

The Delhi-Saharanpur-Dehradun Expressway, also known as NH 709B, is a 210km access-controlled corridor being built with 6-12 lanes. The greenfield project will link Delhi to Dehradun via Baghpat, Baraut, Shamli, and Saharanpur, cutting through the states of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

An official not authorised to speak to the media said that while stretches near Delhi are ready, some sections closer to Dehradun still require safety audits. He added that the opening of major expressways is often a political decision. In November, HT had reported that the ministry was now targeting February 2026 for opening the full corridor, with most of the greenfield work nearing completion.

A key feature of the project is a 12km elevated wildlife corridor through Rajaji National Park – the longest such structure in Asia – designed with six animal underpasses to enable safe movement for wildlife.