Delhi-Mumbai Expressway Deadline Slips To 2025, Missing Revised 2024 Target Due To Land Acquisition Delays

India's longest expressway project, connecting Delhi and Mumbai, is facing significant delays primarily due to challenges in land acquisition in Gujarat.

The project aims to directly link the national capital Delhi with Mumbai, linking multiple economic centres across five states: Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.

The eight-lane greenfield expressway spans a total length of 1,386 km, designed to reduce travel time between Delhi and Mumbai by 50 per cent, aiming for a travel duration of just 12 hours.

Currently, approximately 630 km of the expressway has been opened to traffic in various segments. Notable completed sections include the Sohna-Dausa-Sawai Madhopur (293 km) and the Jhalawar-MP/Gujarat border (245 km).

Authorities are confident that the 845 km stretch from Sohna to Vadodara will be fully operational by March 2025. Subsequent sections linking to Mumbai's JNPT port, Jewar Airport in Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi's DND Flyway are expected to follow.

According to an Economic Times report, bidding for two critical segments totalling 62 km in Gujarat commenced only in November 2023. Construction on one segment began in April this year, while the other started this month.

Initially scheduled for completion by January 2023, the project has faced multiple setbacks, pushing the revised target to March 2024, which has also been missed.

Each stretch of the expressway requires a minimum of eighteen months for construction. To expedite progress, the project was divided into smaller 'packages' for faster execution. Officials assure that all outstanding land acquisition issues are being actively addressed.

Despite significant progress in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, the slow pace in Gujarat remains a concern. With work now initiated across all packages, officials are optimistic that the entire expressway will be operational by October next year.

Beyond connecting Delhi and Mumbai, the expressway aims to improve accessibility to economic hubs such as Jaipur, Kishangarh, Ajmer, Kota, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Bhopal, Ujjain, Indore, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, and Surat.

The project commenced operations with the inauguration of its first segment between Sohna (Haryana) and Dausa (Rajasthan) by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 12 February 2023.

This expansive infrastructure project is set to positively impact 93 PM Gati Shakti economic nodes, 13 ports, eight major airports, and eight multi-modal logistics parks.

Additionally, it will facilitate convenient access to upcoming greenfield airports such as Jewar Airport, Navi Mumbai Airport, and the JNPT port.