The Prime Minister (PM), Narendra Modi has inaugurated the first phase of Delhi-Meerut Expressway. Stretching from the Nizamuddin Bridge in Delhi to the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh (UP) border, the 14-lane highway will reduce travel time between the two cities down to 40-45 minutes from the present about two to three hours. The 14-lane expressway has been built at a cost of over Rs 7,500 crore.
The project will be completed by March 2019. This would be an access controlled highway.
Also present at the inauguration was the Union Transport Minister, Nitin Gadkari. The inauguration was preceded by a road show by the PM who rode an open jeep on the expressway. A large number of people had gathered to watch the event.
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The project will provide faster and safer connectivity between Delhi and Meerut. People from the NCR, UP and Uttarakhand will particularly benefit from the expressway.
Later today, the PM will also inaugurate the country’s first smart and green highway, the Eastern Peripheral Expressway at Baghpat, UP. The 135 km expressway is built at a cost of Rs 11,000 crore.
Highlights
- Delhi-Meerut Expressway
- To cut down travel time between Delhi and Meerut.
- India’s first 14-lane highway, described by PM Narendra Modi as “road to freedom from pollution”
- Does away with 31 traffic signals on the Delhi-Meerut road – the busiest highway in the region. This will make the busy route “signal free”.
- The 9-km stretch up to UP Gate, inaugurated today, would reduce congestion on the roads leading to Noida and Ghaziabad.
- This stretch, which starts at Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi, would be connected to NH 24 and then will lead to NH 58.
- The expressway project is being built in four segments – Nizamuddin Bridge to UP Border, UP Border to Dasna, Dasna to Hapur and Hapur to Meerut. The fourth segment will be a new alignment on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway from Dasna to Meerut.
Eastern Peripheral Expressway
- Will also provide signal-free connectivity between Ghaziabad, Greater Noida, Faridabad and Palwal. Thus, it will de-congest NCR roads. About two lakh commercial vehicles – including trucks – are expected to ply on the expressway without entering the city.
- It will divert 50,000 vehicles going to Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, UP and Rajasthan bringing down vehicular pollution within the city.
- The expressway has been built in a record time of 17 months. Its foundation stone was laid by the PM in November 2015.
- It has several unique features. It is India’s first highway to be lit by solar power besides having provisions for rainwater harvesting every 500 metres on both sides.
- In order to have an uninterrupted travel experience and faster toll collection, toll plazas will be provided with Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system.
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