The 19-kilometer stretch of the Dwarka Expressway in Haryana, from the Delhi-Gurgaon border to Kherki Daula, is slated to open for traffic in the first week of March, just before the imposition of the model code of conduct for the Lok Sabha polls. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to inaugurate the completed stretch and conduct a roadshow.
The remaining 9.5-kilometer portion of the expressway in Delhi is projected to be finished by the end of June. Although the full benefits of the country’s first elevated urban expressway will be realized when the entire 28.5 kilometers are open, the inauguration of the corridor in Gurgaon will bring relief to commuters.
Upon completion, it is anticipated that 40-50% of the traffic will shift to this new road from the congested Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway during peak traffic hours.
Known as the Northern Peripheral Road, the Dwarka Expressway starts from Shiv Murti on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway and connects Dwarka in Delhi to Gurgaon in Haryana. Developed with an investment of Rs 9,000 crore, the expressway features the country’s longest and widest urban road tunnel, measuring 3.6 kilometers in length and spanning 8 lanes.
Originally conceived by the Haryana government in 2006 to alleviate congestion on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway and serve as an additional link between the two cities, the project faced delays due to land acquisition issues. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) took up the development in 2016 after the Center designated it as a National Highway.
The state-of-the-art highway project will be access-controlled with designated entry points on service roads to prevent traffic congestion. Designed as an 8-lane grade-separated expressway, it includes a provision for minimum 3-lane service roads on both sides, four multi-level interchanges, and cross-road underpasses at major junctions.
An NHAI official stated, “Learnings from the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway have been utilized in the design of the Dwarka Expressway. These include a fully access-controlled corridor, three-level grade segregation at major junctions, complete segregation of local traffic, and thorough traffic. The expressway will provide direct access to the upcoming India International Convention Centre in Sector 25 in Dwarka.”