Published on 15th February 2023
On February 15, 2023, the first segment of a 1,386-kilometer (861-mile) expressway connecting New Delhi and Mumbai was finally opened to the public. The 246-kilometer portion of the highway, built at a cost of USD 1.4 billion, connects Delhi to the Rajasthan city of Lalsot.
The full expressway project, which is expected to cost USD 13 billion, was launched in 2018, with the foundation stone laid on March 9, 2019. The eight-lane road, with four lanes in each direction, is intended to cut the commuting time between Delhi and Mumbai in half and shorten the route by 130 kilometers.
The highway will connect key towns such as Kota, Indore, Jaipur, Bhopal, Vadodara, and Surat by passing through Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.
It would also service 93 PM Gati Shakti Economic Nodes, 13 ports, eight major airports, and the same number of multi-modal logistics parks (MMLPs), as well as new forthcoming greenfield airports including Jewar Airport, Navi Mumbai Airport, and JNPT port.
NHAI stated that it would adopt ATMS (Advance Traffic Management System) on national highways and expressways. ATMS will include the enforcement of speed limits and other road-related regulations for the purpose of preventing and managing road accidents more effectively. According to reports, the top speed on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway will be 120 kilometers per hour.
