Bandikui-Jaipur Expressway open to public, cuts Delhi-Jaipur travel time to 3 hours
The Bandikui-Jaipur Expressway, part of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, is designed for high-speed travel, with maximum speed limit of 120 km/h: NHAI official
Gurugram: The Bandikui-Jaipur Expressway — part of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway — has been opened to the public, significantly slashing travel time between Delhi-NCR and Jaipur in Rajasthan.
The 66.91-kilometre-long Bandikui-Jaipur Expressway was constructed at a cost of ₹1,368 crore. (HT PHOTO)
The new route, opened to commuters on July 15 after safety checks, is expected to reduce Delhi-Jaipur travel time to just two-and-a-half to three hours under normal conditions, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials said.
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For Amit Yadav, a Gurugram-based IT consultant, it took three-and-a-half hours to reach Jaipur instead of the usual five to five-and-a-half hours using the Bandikui-Jaipur Expressway. “Last weekend, we drove down to my in-laws’ house in Jaipur. We took the new route and the entire journey was incredibly smooth—no heavy vehicles, no city traffic, no bottlenecks. We left at 7 am and reached our destination before 10:30 am,” Yadav said.
Similarly, Pallavi Mehra, a Delhi-based marketing executive, took the new route to visit her parents in Jaipur. “I had heard that the route was partially open, but I didn’t know it is fully operational now. Last Saturday we took the new route, and it felt like a completely different experience. The old NH-48 was full of traffic and diversions, but this new expressway felt like an airport runway,” Mehra, who visits her parents in Jaipur every fortnight, said.
“This section—from Sohna (Haryana) to Maujmabad via Bandikui (Rajasthan)—is a vital link in the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway corridor. It was fully opened to the public after all safety checks and road signage were completed,” a senior NHAI official, requesting anonymity, said.
The 66.91-kilometre-long Bandikui-Jaipur Expressway was constructed at a cost of ₹1,368 crore.
According to NHAI, more than 15,000 vehicles are using the new stretch daily, and the number is expected to rise as more people become aware. The expressway is designed for high-speed travel, with a maximum speed limit of 120 km/h, the NHAI official said.
Leena Dhankhar is Senior Editor and Bureau Chief, Gurugram, at Hindustan Times, where she has spent over 17 years chronicling the transformation of one of India's fastest-growing urban regions. From starting her career as a crime reporter to leading the Gurugram bureau, her journalism has been defined by investigative reporting, in-depth storytelling and an unwavering focus on public interest.
Over nearly two decades, she has reported extensively across crime, politics, civic governance, elections, real estate, environment, courts, sports, education and entertainment, covering Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Palwal. Her reporting has exposed several major scams and systemic failures, including insurance frauds, waste management irregularities, illegal arms manufacturing units in Nuh, illegal mining in the Aravallis, organised crime networks and governance lapses affecting millions of residents.
Known for her investigative work and exclusive stories, Leena has reported on high-impact national issues, including the Nicaragua charter flight carrying Indian migrants that was turned back amid allegations of human trafficking, exposing the growing network of illegal immigration rackets. Her work has also focused on gang wars, prison administration, juvenile crime, women and child protection systems, the functioning of the Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committee, and environmental challenges such as pollution, waterlogging and deteriorating civic infrastructure.
Beyond hard news, Leena has extensively documented Haryana's rich heritage, forests and wildlife, bringing attention to the state's historical landmarks, biodiversity, conservation efforts and ecological challenges through immersive reportage and feature writing.
Her journalism has consistently gone beyond breaking news. She has documented Gurugram's rapid urbanisation through long-form narratives and enterprise reporting on issues ranging from pothole-ridden roads, flooding and waste management to the changing social fabric of India's Millennium City. She also writes widely read feature columns, including The Outsider, Changemaker, and Concern for Gurugram, profiling people, places and ideas shaping the city's identity.
Leena is the author of Gurugram School Murder, published by Juggernaut Books, a deeply reported account of one of India's most high-profile school murder investigations. She is currently working on her second book, an investigative work exploring some of India's most significant scams and fraud investigations.
Beyond print journalism, she has expanded her storytelling through public speaking and digital media. She is a TEDx speaker and has produced podcasts exploring Gurugram's transformation, civic challenges and untold stories. Her work reflects a commitment to narrative journalism that combines rigorous reporting with compelling storytelling.
A law graduate with an MBA in Human Resources, Leena brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her reporting, particularly on governance, public policy and legal affairs. She has travelled extensively across India to pursue investigative assignments, often reporting from remote locations and conflict-prone areas in search of stories that matter.
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