After missing deadlines, NHAI sets March target for Gurugram–Pataudi highway

46.1km project delayed by scope changes, land issues and utility shifting; officials say finishing work remains and traffic may open by March 31

After missing multiple deadlines, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Monday said the entire Gurugram–Pataudi highway stretch from the Dwarka expressway to Pataudi will be completed and made functional by March this year.

₹1,000 crore road project saw three deadline slips due to litigation, added structures and Covid delays; one flyover to finish only by June (Parveen Kumar/HT)

The NHAI has officially missed three deadlines for the project. The highway was first slated to become operational by March 2025, later pushed to September 2025 and then December 2025. Each revision was attributed by the authority to a major change in the project’s scope, initial delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and prolonged bottlenecks in shifting utilities.

The 46.1km-long highway project, which was scheduled for completion in 2023, was delayed due to litigation over land, afforestation issues, delay in shifting of utilities and changes in the scope of work. The project, which began in 2021, is being constructed at a cost of around ₹1,000 crore.

The highway will connect Gurugram city with Pataudi and Rewari and involve construction on the existing road, including multiple flyovers and underpasses. As part of the project, 81 culverts, 23 vehicular underpasses, one railway overbridge and two flyovers are being built. NHAI officials said around 10 additional structures were later added beyond the original scope, contributing to the delays.

Yogesh Tilak, project director, NHAI, said most of the work across the highway has already been completed. “The majority of work on the entire highway has been completed and now the finishing work remains, which will be completed in the next three months. We will complete the work by March 31 and make this highway operational. The only structure which will remain pending is the flyover on Dwarka Expressway, which will be completed by June,” he said.

Another senior NHAI official said nearly 90 percent of the work had been completed earlier, but changes in scope resulted in missed deadlines. “Most of the work is now completed and we are confident that highway will become operational by March 31,” the official said.

A visit to the highway stretch from Dwarka expressway to Wazirpur showed construction underway on a flyover near Wazirpur village, which may take a few more months to complete. Finishing work is also ongoing on four other flyovers, and lights are being installed on the central verge.

Locals said there was an urgent need for speed-calming measures and other safety interventions at highway intersections, as traffic on the road has increased.

NHAI officials said work is also underway to shift a storm water drain and two pipelines constructed before planning this stretch. The first six kilometres from Dwarka expressway to Wazirpur is “a greenfield project (without any existing infrastructure),” officials said.