Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, on Thursday, February 11 said that his ministry has approved a new 210-km Delhi-Dehradun expressway worth ₹13,000 crores. The expressway will have 10 elevated roads and the distance between the two cities will be covered in just 2.5 hours as compared to 6.5 hours now.
According to the transport ministry, the Delhi-Saharanpur-Dehradun Economic corridor is expected to be operational in two years from now, reported Times Now.
Following are some key things you need to know about the Delhi-Dehradun expressway:
1. The new expressway will decrease the distance between Delhi and Dehradun by 20 kilometres to 210km and the travel time will decrease to 2.5 hours from 6.5 hours now.
2. The expressway would permit a minimum speed of 100km/hour.
3. This will be the first expressway in India to have a 12km long elevated corridor to protect wildlife.
4. At every 25-30km on the expressway, roadside amenities will be present for the convenience of commuters.
5. The expressway is expected to give a boost to tourism and the economy of Uttarakhand.
In the Union Budget for 2021-22, the Centre has allocated ₹1.18 lakh crore for the construction of highways. Finance Minister Sitharaman had also said that execution of flagship highway projects would speed up.