News Brief
Delhi-Mumbai Expressway Faces Delays In Gujarat-Maharashtra Section, October 2025 Deadline in Question: Report
The Delhi Mumbai Expressway. (Nitin Gadkari/Twitter)
The construction of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway has hit delays across five packages covering 140 km between Surat and the Gujarat-Maharashtra border, leading to an extension of the project deadline, News18 reported.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had announced last year that the entire expressway would be completed by October 2025. However, recent updates indicate a different scenario.
The segment between Vadodara and Surat in Gujarat is divided into five packages, with nearly 50 percent of the work completed on the last 25 km stretch.
The section extending from Surat to the Gujarat-Maharashtra border is also divided into five packages, but progress has been sluggish in all but one.
Two packages in the 60 km section have seen less than 10 percent completion, while a 25 km section has progressed by less than 30 percent.
Another 30 km stretch has seen around 50 percent of the work completed.
Madhya Pradesh has completed its 250 km section of the expressway, which is now operational.
Similarly, the main section of the expressway in Haryana is operational, while work on the spur is nearing completion and is expected to be ready later this year.
In Rajasthan, minor portions, including a tunnel, are still under construction.
The section in Rajasthan is expected to be ready in the next 10-12 months, News18 reported citing officials aware of the development.
However, sections of the expressway in Maharashtra are unlikely to be completed before the end of 2026, according to the officials cited in the News18 report.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in July last year said that work on 26 packages have been completed, with overall physical progress reaching 82 percent.
Out of the total 1,386 km, 619 km of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is already operational.
This includes the Delhi-Dausa-Sawai Madhopur stretch, Jhalawar-Ratlam-MP/Gujarat border, and the Vadodara-Bharuch segment.
The ministry also stated last year that construction on 1,136 km had been completed, adding that the revised scheduled completion date is October 2025.
The expressway is primarily divided into two segments: an 845-km stretch from Delhi to Vadodara and a 450-km segment from Vadodara to Mumbai.
The Delhi-Vadodara section was originally expected to be ready this month, while the Vadodara-Mumbai stretch was slated for completion by October 2025.
The 90-km DND Sohna and Jewar part of the road was expected by July 2025.
At present, the longer and congested NH-48 serves as the primary route between Mumbai and Delhi, spanning 1,440 km.
Set to be constructed at an estimated cost of over Rs 1 lakh crore, the new expressway aims to enhance connectivity across key economic hubs in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.
Once completed, the expressway will cut the distance between Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) in Navi Mumbai by approximately 180 km, and reduce travel time by nearly half.
