New Mumbai-Delhi expressway to reduce travel time to 12 hours
Road transport and highways minister, Nitin Gadkari, has said that the government is working on a super expressway to connect Mumbai and Delhi. This highway will reduce the travel time on this 1,400 km stretch from 24 hrs to 12 hrs. This project is to be completed in four stages.
The first phase will connect Delhi to Jaipur and Mumbai to Vadodara. Work on the Delhi-Jaipur stretch has already begun, it is expected to be completed in the next 15 months at a cost of Rs 16,000 crore. The government has also begun awarding contracts for the Vadodara-Mumbai stretch where the construction work will cost Rs 44,000 crore. These stretches will then be connected by two other projects-Jaipur to Kota in Rajasthan and Kota to Vadodara.
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The first phase will reduce the travel time between Delhi and Jaipur from six hours to two hours. This will be because the highways will be access controlled and allow for speeds of up to 150 kmph. The Mumbai Vadodara section, when completed, will reduce travel time for the 380 km stretch to three hours.
The government is hoping for quick progress in the construction process as they expect the land acquisition to be cheaper and less difficult. The expressway, when completed, will be quicker than the present train service between these two cities. Further, it should also help in the development of the rural stretches along this route, by providing better economic prospects to residents and improve connectivity between rural and urban centres.
