After so much wait, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has finally announced that the deadline for the completion of the Gurgaon portion of the Dwarka Expressway will be December 2022. This is expected to reduce the vehicular load on all Gurgaon-Delhi routes and provide relief to commuters from traffic congestion.
The Dwarka Expressway, which is being built to reduce the Delhi-Gurugram traffic on National Highway-8 (NH-8) by about 50%, has been delayed by at least a year owing to the Covid-19 pandemic and is now expected to be ready by September 2023, senior officials in the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)
The project is on track and is expected to be completed by December 2022, considering that finishing touches such as installing signboards and painting can be carried even after the expressway is opened. The 29 km expressway is estimated to cost Rs. 90 billion.
According to a recent announcement by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the Gurgaon portion of the Dwarka Expressway, spread over 19 km between Bajghera and Kherki Daula, is likely to open to the public by the end of the year. However, the remaining 10 km Delhi section may take longer to complete, as its construction is expected to resume a year after the Gurgaon section is completed.
As announced in 2007, a 29-km-long project at a cost of Rs 9,000 crore was to be constructed to ease the load on the existing routes between Delhi and Gurgaon. Work on the Gurgaon portion began in November 2019, while the construction for the Delhi portion began in September 2020.
Initially, there were delays due to land acquisition, litigation and compensation disputes over the pandemic, and then a ban on construction activity planned by the state government to curb pollution. It was then suspended after a portion of an elevated road collapsed near Daulatabad Chowk. The construction activities on the Gurgaon section were resumed in November last year.
Construction is picking up pace with NHAI starting work on the clover last month. The four loops that cover a circumference of more than 2 km will ensure seamless travel between stretches including the Central Peripheral Road (CPR), Southern Peripheral Road (SPR), Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway and the under-construction Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. Areas including 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 109, 110, 111, 112 and 113 in Gurgaon will benefit from this development. The demand for residential homes in these areas may increase as realty investors who were eagerly waiting for the completion of the project can take the plunge. The move will also improve rental housing as these sectors are hubs of affordable inventory.
Dwarka Expressway, which is being built to reduce the Delhi-Gurugram traffic on National Highway-8 by about 50%, has been delayed by at least a year owing to the Covid-19 pandemic and is now expected to be ready by September 2023, senior officials in the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)
