Dwarka expressway to be completed by December-end: Gadkari

The Dwarka expressway, a key highway that will provide seamless connectivity between Mahipalpur in Delhi and Kherki Daula in Gurugram, will be completed by December-end, Union minister for highways and road transport Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday, after an inspection of the ongoing works both in Haryana and the Capital.

The minister said that the highway, which is India’s first access controlled eight lane expressway, is part of the 60,000-crore Delhi decongestion plan, which aims to reduce pollution and traffic chaos in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Without giving a specific deadline, Gadkari said the sections of the road in Gurugram will be ready in the next three months, and the entire highway will be ready for traffic by the end of December this year. He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the project.

“The expressway project will be completed by December this year, and we will try to finish it earlier. I have seen the Gurugram sections also and there are still some shortcomings which will be overcome before the highway is opened for traffic. Prior to that it is not possible for the expressway to be opened to traffic. Keeping in mind the convenience of commuters, we will not wait for a formal inauguration but still shortcomings need to be addressed ,” said Gadkari after conducting an inspection of the 29-km highway.

Besides providing an alternative link between Delhi and Gurugram and taking off the load from the Delhi Gurugram Expressway (NH48), the highway is expected to boost growth and ensure seamless connectivity to the Dwarka region where a host of projects, including the international convention centre and state of the art sports complexes and stadium is coming up.

“For the first time in the country a 720 kV high tension power line was shifted for the construction of this road, and it took a lot of effort and coordination with both the Haryana and Delhi governments to get these issues resolved. We have spent around 500 crore for shifting utilities and another 500 crore for additional land acquisition,” said Gadkari.

Gadkari was accompanied by lieutenant governor of Delhi VK Saxena, Union minister of state general (retd) V K Singh, Union minister of state Rao Inderjit Singh, members of parliament Pravesh Verma and Ramesh Bidhuri and senior officials of the National Highways Authority of India.

The expressway is being constructed in four packages. Of the total length of 29 kms, 18.9 kms fall in Haryana and remaining 10.1 kms in Delhi. The highway project was conceived by the Haryana government in 2006, but it remained stuck due to legal and land acquisition issues till 2016, after which the Union government took up the project on the state government’s request, said a senior NHAI official.

The work on the project started in 2018. The road was originally slated to be completed in 2021, but deadlines were extended due to the Covid outbreak, the official said.

When asked about the removal of Kherki Daula toll plaza, the minister said that NHAI was working on toll collection system using GPS technology, which will end congestion and ensure commuters pay only for the stretch of highway that they have used. He, however, made it clear that toll collection on Delhi Jaipur highway will continue as resources are required to maintain the roads.

Gurugram MP and Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh, who was present during the inspection, said that the expressway was planned as an alternative road to Delhi Jaipur highway, and added that it will transform the transport ecosystem in Gurugram and Delhi. “A lot of traffic will shift to Dwarka expressway and it will give breathing space to the city. I am hopeful that the elevated road project between Manesar and Dhaula Kuan gets approved soon. It will be another landmark project,” he said.

Gadkari also shared the progress of the four packages in which the project is being developed. He said that 61% work has been completed on the first package that begins at Shiv Murti in Mahipalpur and goes on up to the Sector 21 road underbridge at Bijwasan. This stretch has the crucial stack interchange being built at Mahipalpur, which will ensure that traffic can move freely between Delhi, Gurugram, the Delhi airport and the Dwarka expressway.

The package two between Bijwasan and the Delhi Haryana border is 82% done. This, Gadkari said, will have a toll plaza.

He added that the third package between Haryana border and Basai Dhankot is 94% complete, with contractors giving final touches to the road stretch. The fourth, and the final package, between Basai road and Kherki Daula is almost finished, the minister said.

“There is need to remove some shortcomings on this stretch before it could be opened for traffic. It will take some time,” he said, but refused to commit a deadline.