Dwarka Expressway - India’s First Ever Elevated Urban Expressway To Be Completed By August 2022

With the dual aim of reducing pollution in the NCR and decongesting the Delhi-Gurugram National Highway-8, the Dwarka Expressway, is slated to be completed before the Independence Day next year.

Reviewing the progress of Dwarka Expressway, India's first grade separated urban Expressway, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said the 29-km long Expressway being constructed under the Bharatmala Project at an estimated cost of Rs 8,662 crore would also be the first instance of a project where tree plantation of approximately 12,000 trees has been undertaken, keeping protection of the environment in view.

The Minister said that it will be the first-ever elevated Urban Expressway in India and will immensely help reduce the air pollution in Delhi-NCR.

Slated to be an engineering marvel of India, the project has several unique features including longest (3.6 kilometre) and widest (8 lane) Urban Road Tunnel in the country.

The project’s road network will also comprise four levels -tunnel, underpass, at-grade road, elevated flyover and flyover above flyover.

Gadkari said that based on this experience, the method will be replicated across the country.

The Minister stated that Delhi-Gurugram section of National Highway-8, a part of Delhi-Jaipur-Ahmedabad-Mumbai arm of Golden Quadrilateral (GQ), is presently carrying traffic of over three lakh Passenger Car Units (PCUs), which is much beyond design capacity of this 8-lane highway, leading to severe congestion and with the construction of the present project, 50 to 60 per cent traffic on National Highway-8 will be reduced.

The project is also expected to provide around 50,000 direct or indirect employment opportunities.

Being built in four packages, it consists of 18.9 km length in Haryana while the remaining 10.1 km length is in Delhi. It starts from Shiv-Murti on National Highway-8 and ends near KherkiDaula Toll Plaza.

It will also comprise India’s first 9-km long 8-lane flyover (34-metre wide) on a single pier with 6-lane service roads. There will be a fully automated tolling system with 22 lanes toll plaza.

The entire project will be equipped with an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS). The project has a total estimated consumption of two lakh MT of steel, which is 30 times of that of the Eiffel Tower. The total estimated consumption of 20 lakh Cum of Concrete is six times of the Burj Khalifa building.