Minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari and minister of state VK Singh inspect the layout plan for the Dwarka expressway on Thursday.

The Dwarka Expressway, a key highway that will provide seamless connectivity between Mahipalpur in south Delhi and Kherki Daula in Guru-gram, will be completed by the end of December, Union minister for highways and road transport Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday after inspecting the ongoing work, both in Haryana and the Capital.
The minister said the highway – India’s first access-controlled eight lane expressway – is part of a 260,000-crore plan to decongest Delhi, and aims to reduce pollution and traffic snarls in the National Capital Region (NCR).
Besides providing an alternative link between Delhi and Guru-gram, and taking load off from from the Delhi-Gurugram Expressway (NH-48), the highway is expected to boost growth and will ensure seamless connectivity to the Dwarka region, where a host of projects, including an international convention centre and a state-of-the-art sports complex and stadium, is coming up.
Gadkari was accompanied by lieutenant governor (LG) VK Sax-ena, Union minister of state VK Singh, Union minister of state Rao Inderjit Singh, members of Parliament Pravesh Verma and Ramesh Bidhuri, and senior officials of the National Highways Authority.
Without giving a specific dead line, Gadkari said the sections of the expressway which falls in Gurugram will be ready in the next three months, and the entire highway will be ready for traffic by the end of December. 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 com-miters, 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.
The minister added, “For the first time in the country, a 720kV 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 2500 crore for shifting utilities, and another 2500 crore for additional land acquisi-tion.”
The expressway is being constructed in four packages – 18.9km falls in Haryana, and the remaining 10.1km is in Delhi. The project was conceived by the Haryana government in 2006, but 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 senior NHAI officials.

Covid impact
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, officials 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 devel-oped. 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 Bij-wasan. 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 Bij-wasan 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.
Prof Sewa Ram of School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi, said that the Dwarka Expressway will significantly improve commute between west Delhi, Dwarka and Gurugram. “This road will help in segregating traffic going to Gurugram and reduce congestion on NH 48 as well as the old Delhi Gurugram road, which witnesses traffic jams.”

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