New Completion Date Announced Delhi-Mumbai Expressway Misses Revised 2024 Deadline

The Delhi-Mumbai expressway project which aims to greatly improve India's infrastructure, has been delayed. Initially planned to be finished in January 2023, it faced many issues, especially with land in Gujarat. According to a Times of India report, two important parts in Gujarat, totaling 62 kilometers, only started the bidding process in November 2023. Construction on one part began in April, and the other part started this month. Now, the project is expected to be completed by 2025.

Due to these delays, the March 2024 target was also missed. Each section of the expressway needs at least 18 months to build. To speed things up, the project was divided into smaller parts or 'packages.' Officials are working on resolving the land acquisition problems.

Currently, about 630 kilometers of the total 1,386 kilometers are open to traffic. Important sections include Sohna-Dausa-Sawai Madhopur (293 km) and Jhalawar-MP/Gujarat border (245 km). Authorities are confident that the 845-kilometer stretch from Sohna to Vadodara will be fully operational by March 2025. Other sections, connecting to Mumbai's JNPT port, Jewar Airport in Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi's DND Flyway, will follow.

Former officials from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) highlight the need for timely land acquisition for such large projects and urge state governments to act quickly. A former official noted that the biggest problem for road projects, especially new expressways, is the lack of available land.

Recently, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways announced contracts worth Rs 3,633 crore and Rs 2,287 crore for building 35 kilometers in Valsad and 27 kilometers in Navsari districts, respectively. However, construction in these areas hasn't started yet.

Despite good progress in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, the slow pace in Gujarat is still a concern. With work now started on all packages, officials are hopeful that the entire expressway will be operational by October next year, greatly improving the connection between Delhi and Mumbai.