Nitin Gadkari to Review Progress of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway on 16th – 17th September

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari will be reviewing the progress of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway(DME) on 16th – 17th September covering the States of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. Being developed at a cost of 98,000 crores, the 1380 km long Delhi Mumbai expressway will be the longest expressway in India. It will enhance connectivity between  National Capital, Delhi and Financial Capital, Mumbai. The expressway will connect urban centres of Delhi through the Delhi-Faridabad-Sohna section of the corridor along with a spur to Jewar Airport and Jawaharlal Nehru Port to Mumbai through a spur in Mumbai.

In addition, the expressway which passes through the six states of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra will improve the connectivity to economic hubs like Jaipur, Kishangarh, Ajmer, Kota, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Bhopal, Ujjain, Indore, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat bringing economic prosperity to millions.

Delhi Mumbai Expressway, envisaged under the vision of  Prime Minister’s ‘New India’, was kick-started in 2018 with the foundation stone being laid on 9^th March 2019. Out of the 1,380 kms, contracts for more than 1,200 kms have already been awarded and is under progress.

State-level awarded, cost and total length

• 9 km of the total expressway being built at a cost of more than 1,800 crores will pass through Delhi with contracts for 9 kms already awarded
• 160 km of the total expressway being built at a cost of more than 10,400 crores will pass through Haryana with contracts for 130 kms already awarded
• 374 km of the total expressway being built at a cost of more than 16,600 crores will pass through Rajasthan with contracts for all 374 kms already awarded
• 245 km of the total expressway being built at a cost of more than 11,100 crores will pass through Madhya Pradesh with contracts for 245 kms already awarded
• 423 km of the total expressway being built at a cost of more than 35,100 crores will pass through Gujarat with contracts for 390 kms already awarded
• 171 km of the total expressway being built at a cost of more than 23,000 crores will pass through Maharashtra with contracts for 80 kms already awarded

Expressway Key Features

The new expressway is expected to halve the commute time between Delhi and Mumbai from nearly 24 hours to 12 hours and shorten the distance by 130 km. This will generate annual fuel savings of more than 320 million liters and reduce CO₂ emissions by 850 million Kg which is equivalent to the planting of 40 million trees. Over two million trees and shrubs are planned to be planted along the highway as part NHAI’s commitment towards environment conservation.

Minimizing environmental and wildlife impact has been a cornerstone for Delhi Mumbai Expressway. The expressway is the first in Asia and only the second in the world to feature animal overpasses to facilitate unrestricted movement of wildlife. The DME will have 3 animal and 5 overpasses with a combined length of 7 km dedicated for unencumbered wildlife movement. The expressway will also include two iconic 8 lane tunnels which are a testament to the engineering prowess of the country, one tunneling through Mukundra sanctuary without disturbing the endangered fauna in the region for 4 kms and the second 4 km 8 lane-tunnel will pass through the Matheran eco-sensitive zone.

The marquee project is an engineering marvel as

1. More than 12 Lakh Tons of Steel will be consumed in the construction of the expressway, which is equivalent to building 50 Howrah bridges
2. Almost 35 crore cubic meter of earth will be moved which translates to 4 crore truck trips during the course of construction
3. 80 lakh tons of cement will be consumed for the project which is approximately 2% of India’s annual cement production capacity

DME passes multiple diverse regions such as forests, arid lands, mountains, rivers and extensive work has gone to ensure that the highway stands the test of time. Perpetual pavement design has been adopted for Delhi - Vadodara section, which passes through arid regions and rigid pavement design has been adopted for Vadodara – Mumbai section with high rainfall to increase the longevity of the project.

DME has also created employment for thousands of trained civil engineers and more than 50 Lakh Man days of work.

One other unique aspect of the Delhi Mumbai Expressway is the setting up of 94-way side amenities(WSA) to improve user convenience and safety along the corridor. Way side amenities will house petrol pumps, motels, rest areas, restaurants and shops. These Wayside amenities will also have helipads for increasing connectivity and evacuating people in case of medical emergencies.

Haryana (Location 1)

• Length in State:160 km of the total expressway passes through the state of Haryana and the section is being built at a total capital cost of more than 10,400 crores with contracts for 130 kms already awarded.
• Connectivity:The corridor will improve connectivity across the state in the districts of Nuh and Palwal through multiple interchanges to connect the expressway with major highways like KMP and DND Sohna.
• Marquee Feature:The corridor will feature a marquee elevated corridor of 3 km across the DFCC Corridor which, at an elevation of 18m will be one of India’s tallest highway corridors to be constructed. The average height of elevated RoBsis generally 6-9m.
• WSA:The state will also have 6 wayside amenities located at strategic locations to provide world class amenities to commuters while also generating employment opportunities in the state of Haryana.
• Importance:By connecting the state of Haryana to the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra, this corridor will bring economic prosperity and growth to the state of Haryana.
• Completion Schedule:The complete section of the expressway in the state of Haryana is targeted to be completed and open to traffic as part of the 214 km long Delhi – Jaipur (Dausa)- Lalsot section by March’2022.

Rajasthan(Location 2 and 3)

• Length in State:374 km of the total expressway passes through the state of Rajasthan and the section is being built at a total capital cost of more than 16,600 crores with contracts for all 374 kms already awarded.
• Connectivity:
  • The corridor will pass through the districts of Alwar, Bharatpur, Dausa, Sawai Madhopur, Tonk, Bundi and Kota to connect the state’s growing economic aspirations.
  • Key interchanges have been planned along the corridor to enhance the connectivity of the corridor with existing highway networks through interchanges along the expressway. One such marquee interchange is situated near Dausa and will connect the expressway with the existing Agra-Jaipur Highway.
  • In addition, an additional spur from Bundikui to Jaipur is planned to complete the Delhi – Jaipur Expressway and reduce the commute time between Delhi and Jaipur from 4 hrs to less than 2 hrs.
• Marquee Feature:
  • Rajasthan is a state rich in wildlife, flora and fauna. The expressway passes through some world-famous sanctuaries like Ranthambore Tiger Reserve and Chambal sanctuary. Multiple steps have been taken to ensure minimal impact to the ecosystem. The expressway is the first in Asia and only the second in the world to feature animal overpasses to facilitate unrestricted movement of wildlife. The DME will have 3 animals and 5 overpasses with a combined length of 7 km dedicated for unencumbered wildlife movement. The expressway will also include India’s first iconic 8 lane 4km tunnel which will tunnel through Mukundra sanctuary without disturbing the endangered fauna in the region.
  • In addition, multiple bridges are being built across the rivers of the state like Banganga river, Banas river, Mezriver and Chambal river.
  • An iconic 1100 m long elevated stretch has been planned across the Chakan Dam which will be an engineering marvel.
• WSA: The state will also have 28 wayside amenities located at strategic locations to provide world-class amenities to commuters while also generating employment opportunities in the state of Rajasthan.
• Completion Schedule:All the packages in the state of Rajasthan are under progress with the Delhi – Jaipur (Dausa)- Lalsot section of 214 km targeted to be completed and open to traffic by March 2022. The remaining section from Lalsot to Kota is targeted to be completed by March 2023.

Madhya Pradesh (Location 4)

• Length in State:Of the total expressway, 245 km traverses through the state of Madhya Pradesh and is being built at a total capital cost of more than 11,100 crores. The complete section has been awarded and is in advanced stages of construction with over 100 km already constructed with construction underway for the remaining 145 km.
• Connectivity: Interchanges have been planned at 7 key locations. With 3 in the Mandsaur region including Bhanpura – Jhalawar, Suwasra Road in Garoth, Tak – Sithamau interchange. Similarly, 3 more in Ratlam with Ujjain Nagada road, Mahu – Neemach road, and RatlamSilana road. One more interchange is planned near Jhabua – Kushalgarh road. Through these interchanges, the expressway will connect with key cities and towns of the state like Garoth, Ujjain, Ratlam, Indore and Jhabua.
• Marquee Feature:
  • One of the key features of the corridor in the state of Madhya Pradesh is the large-scale hill transformation undertaken to ensure efficient crow-flight alignment. Through the initiatives, an iconic 600 m elevated major bridge has been constructed through the hilly terrains of Jhawda.
  • Yet another important feature in the state of Madhya Pradesh is the construction of an iconic bridge over the Chambal river.
• WSA:11 WSAs with world-class features are being constructed in the state of Madhya Pradesh. While providing comfort and safety to commuters, it will also be a source of generating employment in the state of Madhya Pradesh.
• Completion Schedule: The 245 km long Madhya Pradesh section of the expressway is in advanced stages of construction and targeted to be completed and open to public traffic by November 2022.

Gujarat(Location 5/6)

• Length in State: 423 km of the expressway is built across the state of Gujarat at a total capital cost of more than 35,100 crores with contracts for 390 kms already awarded and the remaining package to be awarded shortly. Two sections of the corridor, Delhi – Vadodara Section and Vadodara Mumbai Section will pass through the state.
• Connectivity: Gujarat is a key economic hub of the country and multiple interchanges have been planned across the state to provide connectivity to the towns and cities of Dahod, Limkheda, Panchmahal, Vadodara, Bharuch, Surat and Valsad. The expressway will also be connected to the state capital through the Vadodara – Ahmedabad Expressway. 60 major bridges, 17 interchanges, 17 flyovers and 8 RoBs have been planned across the state of Gujarat.
• Marquee Feature:
  • One key feature of the corridor in the state of Gujarat is the innovative pavement design planned with perpetual design in the Delhi - Vadodara section and rigid pavement design for the Vadodara – Mumbai section based on the climatic conditions to maximize the economic lifetime of the expressway.
  • An iconic bridge built across the Narmada river near Bharuch. The 2km long extradosed cable span bridge will be India’s first 8 lane bridge to be built across the expressway. This, along with the iconic interchange near the city of Bharuch expected to refresh the face of the expressway development in the country.
• WSA: 33 WSAs are being planned to be built across the state of Gujarat to provide world class amenities to commutes as well as generate employment opportunity in the state.
• Completion Schedule: One key section of the overall expressway, the Vadodara – Ankleshwar section of 100 km is in advanced stages of construction and targeted to be open to traffic by March 2022. The remaining section from Ankleshwar to Talsari is targeted to be completed by Mar 2023.

Overall Corridor Completion Schedule

The two sections of the expressway, the Delhi – Dausa – Lalsotsection which is part of the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway and the Vadodara-Ankleshwar Section which connects Vadodara to the economic hub of Bharuch are likely to opened for traffic by Mar’ 2022The complete expressway is planned to be completed by Mar’ 2023.

The key challenges during the pre-construction stage were extensive land acquisition and timely clearances such as environment, forest and wildlife. Land acquisition for an area of 15,000 ha. was completed in short span of time with land acquisition for Delhi to Vadodara section completed in less than 1 year. In addition, the statuary clearances were obtained in parallel to save time during implementation.

To ensure faster implementation, use of technology was promoted through-out the project lifecycle where advanced technologies such as LiDAR, GPR, Digital maps were used during the preparation of Detailed Project Report followed by use of Drone based surveys, Equipment telematics, pre-casting during the construction stage. Additionally, the packaging of the construction was also planned scientifically to minimize overrun of time through intelligent tendering processes which enabled simultaneous working at multiple stretches.