Avid travellers and commuters have been eagerly awaiting the Delhi–Dehradun Expressway, one of the most anticipated infrastructure projects in recent times. The project is expected to significantly reduce travel time between the two capital cities. However, the opening of the highway has recently missed its deadline and is now expected to open soon, easing travel for commuters.
Once operational, the expressway will play a key role in easing congestion in Delhi and reducing traffic on the Delhi–Meerut Expressway and other connecting highways.
Delhi–Dehradun Expressway Status
In a recently shared written statement, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, said that construction work on the Delhi–Dehradun Expressway is at an advanced stage and is scheduled to be completed by January 2026.
In his statement, he said:
“The work of the 210 km-long, six-lane, access-controlled Greenfield Delhi–Dehradun Highway is in an advanced stage, with the revised scheduled date of completion by January 2026, except for the 70 m service road in the Akshardham to Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) junction section due to pending litigation,” Gadkari said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
He was responding to questions raised by Mahendra Bhatt regarding the current progress of the elevated road section of the Delhi–Dehradun Expressway. Bhatt also sought information on the timeline for when the road is expected to be completed and opened for vehicular traffic.
Delhi–Dehradun Expressway: Previous Timeline
Earlier, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) had targeted the completion of this ambitious project by October 2025. In a written statement in the Rajya Sabha on July 23, Nitin Gadkari said:
“The Delhi–Dehradun access-controlled highway, with a total capital cost of Rs 11,868.6 crore, is targeted for completion by October 2025.”
Speed Limit and Route Details
The expressway has been designed to allow vehicles to travel at speeds of up to 100 km/h. As per draft plans, the expressway will start from Akshardham Temple in Delhi and pass through Baghpat, Baraut, Muzaffarnagar, Shamli, and Saharanpur, before culminating in Dehradun.
Once operational, the highway is expected to reduce travel time between Delhi and Dehradun from the current 6.5 hours to just 2.5 hours.
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