Delhi-Mumbai Expressway: Everything you need to know about India's longest expressway

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 246-km Delhi-Dausa-Lalsot section of the much-awaited Delhi-Mumbai Expressway on Sunday afternoon in Rajasthan's Dausa district. The newly inaugurated section is part of India's longest under construction expressway, which has been developed at a cost of over Rs 12,150 crore. 

With the Delhi-Dausa-Lalsot section of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway becoming operational from Sunday, the travel time from the national capital to Jaipur is expected to get cut by around half. Apart from reducing travel time between major cities, the operationalisation of this expressway will also provide a major boost to the economic development of the entire region. 

After the completion, the entire stretch will connect India's capital city Delhi to the country's financial capital city Mumbai. The total stretch will be of 1,386 km and is expected to reduce the travel time between Delhi and Mumbai from 24 hours to around 12 hours. 

Delhi-Mumbai Expressway to fuel economic growth

Once the entire construction work completes, this expressway will be the longest and most advanced expressway in India, with a number of key features that will make it a game changer in the Indian transportation system.

Apart from Delhi, it will pass through five major states -- Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra and will connect major cities like Delhi, Kota, Indore, Jaipur, Bhopal, Vadodara, Surat and Mumbai. Further, connecting 13 sea ports, eight airports including the upcoming Jewar Airport and Navi Mumbai Airport and eight multi-modal logistics parks (MMLPs), contributing in a major way to the economic transformation of the country. 
 

Two world records attained

Two world records are said to have been created during the construction of this stretch. The first one was for the highest quantity of Pavement Quality Concrete (PQC) laid in 24 hours and the second was for the highest quantity of dense bitumen laid in 100 hours. 

Bituminous roads consist of their surface with bituminous materials which is also called Asphalt. It is a sticky dark viscous liquid obtained from natural deposits like crude petroleum. An overall bitumen mix is used in the construction of flexible pavement to serve the structural strength, surface drainage and surface friction. It is being executed by over 4000 trained civil engineers. 
 

Asia's first expressway to accommodate animals 
 

This is the first expressway in India and also Asia to accommodate animal overpasses and underpasses. It has been aligned to minimise the impact on wildlife, especially through Ranthambore Wildlife Sanctuary. It is often observed that construction of expressways and highways brings danger to the lives of animals and sometimes to make it dangerous for the commuters too.

In order to shield wildlife habitats, overpasses, underpasses, and boundary walls have been constructed on the Delhi-Mumbai Expresssway, so that animals can cross the expressway on the other side, without actually coming on the expressway. 
 

Rain water harvesting to be facilitated at over 2000 points
 

The expressway is being constructed to facilitate rainwater harvesting at 500 metre intervals at over 2,000+ water recharge points. It will also have an automated traffic management system.

As per Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, around 12 lakh tons of steel is expected to be consumed during the construction, which is equivalent to the construction of 50 Howrah Bridges. There would be 40+ major interchanges to provide connectivity to various cities, and a 3-meter wide dedicated corridor for laying Utility lines including Optical Fiber Cables, Pipelines and solar power generation.

The expressway will have 94 wayside amenities to improve the commuter experience. There will be a state of the art automated traffic management system. The project is going to generate 10 Cr man-days of employment.

It is the first expressway that developed with a 21-meter median on principles of forgiving highways allowing inward expansion.
 

About expressways in India
 

Expressways are the highest class of roads in India. These are controlled-access highways where entrance and exits are controlled by the use of ramps or interchanges that are incorporated into the design of the expressway and designed for maximum speed of 120 km/hr. Expressways follow standards set by Indian Roads Congress and Bureau of Indian Standards.

Mumbai–Pune Expressway is the first 6-lane operational expressway in India, which became operational in 2002. Purvanchal Expressway is considered the second longest expressway in India. Delhi-Noida Direct flyway is India's first eight-lane wide expressway and with 14 operational lanes, Delhi-Meerut Expressway is considered to be the widest expressway in India.