Gurugram To Vadodara: After a long wait, the tunnel project in Rajasthan’s Kota is nearing its final milestone. Authorities are preparing to open the country’s first eight-lane tunnel next month, marking a significant step in the ambitious Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. Once operational, the tunnel will improve travel efficiency, reducing the travel time from Gurugram to Vadodara to around 10-12 hours, nearly half of the current 20-22 hours. Spanning about 1,380 km, the expressway is designed to strengthen connectivity between the national capital Delhi, and India’s financial hub, Mumbai.
Eight-Lane Access-Controlled Greenfield Expressway
This eight-lane, access-controlled, greenfield expressway is being constructed in several sections. The expressway begins at Alipur village near Sohna. Construction of the expressway before Kota and beyond Kota to Vadodara was completed several months ago.
Kota is home to the Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve, which is home to a large number of wildlife. A 4.9-kilometer-long tunnel was built to ensure that wildlife was not disturbed. This significantly increased the construction time.
The tunnel has been constructed in such a way that wildlife will not even notice vehicles passing beneath. It is planned to be operational by next month.
It is reported that the tunnel will be operational after a thorough inspection. A formal inauguration ceremony will take place later. Once the tunnel is operational, approximately 25 kilometres of winding roads near Kota will be relieved.
Project Up To Mumbai May Be Completed By June
Some construction work remains between Vadodara and Mumbai. It is expected that the remaining portion will be completed by June this year. This will allow people to travel from Gurugram to Mumbai in 12 hours instead of 24. Vehicles can travel at speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour on this expressway.
There have been numerous complaints of vehicles travelling at speeds of up to 200 kilometres per hour. Currently, an average of 25,000 to 30,000 vehicles are travelling on the expressway daily.
After completion of the project till Mumbai, the number of vehicles is expected to increase significantly.
Delhi-Mumbai Expressway To Pass Through THESE Cities
Apart from Delhi and Gurugram, the expressway is passing near cities like Alwar, Jaipur, Dausa, Kishangarh, Ajmer, Ranthambore, Sawai Madhopur, Laxmangarh, Kota, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Bhopal, Ujjain, Ratlam, Indore, Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat.
It is expected that along with Delhi and Mumbai, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat will develop more rapidly.
According to jagran.com, PK Kaushik, project director of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), said the expressway can easily be expanded to 12 lanes as the number of vehicles increases, as the median is 21 metres wide.
Lanes can be easily expanded on both sides. The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is one of the best expressways in the country. It has been designed with exceptional care. Attention has also been paid to surrounding amenities to ensure that people do not face any inconvenience.
Once the tunnel is operational, the journey to Vadodara can be completed in 10 to 12 hours.