New Delhi, April 14: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated the much-awaited Delhi–Dehradun Expressway, a major infrastructure project built at an estimated cost of ₹11,868 crore.
The 212-kilometre-long expressway is expected to significantly enhance connectivity between the national capital and Uttarakhand’s capital, reducing travel time from around 6–7 hours to just about 2.5 hours.
The expressway passes through key regions of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, and is designed to ease congestion while boosting tourism, trade, and regional economic development. Officials said the project incorporates modern engineering features, including elevated corridors, wildlife crossings, noise barriers, and advanced traffic management systems to ensure safer and faster travel.
A key highlight of the project is the construction of Asia’s longest elevated wildlife corridor in the Rajaji National Park area, aimed at protecting animal movement while maintaining high-speed connectivity. The expressway also includes service roads, underpasses, and dedicated entry-exit points to improve accessibility for local communities along the route.
Once fully operational, the corridor is expected to provide a major push to pilgrimage and tourism traffic towards Dehradun, Mussoorie, Haridwar, and Rishikesh, especially during peak travel seasons. It will also facilitate faster movement of agricultural produce and industrial goods, benefiting businesses in the region.
The project is part of the government’s broader push to expand India’s expressway network and strengthen last-mile connectivity, in line with its vision of faster, greener, and more efficient road infrastructure across the country.
