6 lane Delhi-Dehradun Expressway to open soon: Baghpat just 25 minutes from Delhi, details here

Delhi-Dehradun Expressway update: The Delhi-Dehradun expressway is finished and will soon be open, which is good news for commuters. This expressway's 3.5 kilometre segment is now open. Delhi-Dehradun Expressway will soon be inaugurated. However, the date of its inauguration has not been officially announced. The expressway will reduce travel time to 2.5 to 3 hours once it is operational.

When fully operating, the expressway will cut the travel time in half, from the previous 6-hour trip to 2.5 to 3 hours.  The commuters travelling from Delhi to Baghpat will also benefit from the smoother traffic flow and seamless connectivity it will provide.  The expressway's inauguration was delayed earlier for technical concerns.  However, it can now be opened in March since the remaining construction work has been finished.

This multi-regional new Greenfield expressway will travel through Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Delhi. The first eighteen km of the highway between Delhi's Akshardham Temple and Dehradun's Loni would reportedly be toll-free. The Delhi-Dehradun expressway now charges travellers Rs 500 in tolls, with several toll plazas along the route charging Rs 90, Rs 130 and Rs 75. The soundproof barriers that are positioned on both sides of the motorway are one of its main features.

The first segment of the 32-kilometer journey from Akshardham to Baghpat is expected to cut the travel time from two hours to twenty-five minutes. The final stage links Asharodi in Dehradun with Ganeshpur in Uttar Pradesh.  Furthermore, a 3.4-kilometer section between Daat Kali and Asharodi has already been made accessible to passengers.

The entire expressway is divided into four sections -- from near Akshardham in Delhi, passing through the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, Shastri Park, Khajuri Khas, and Mandola in Khekra (EPE Interchange). The expressway then further extends through Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat, Shamli, and Saharanpur before reaching Dehradun in Uttarakhand.

The 212 km-long six-lane Delhi-Dehradun Greenfield Access Controlled Expressway has been built for Rs 12,000 crore, according to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). 

Delhi-Dehradun Expressway Toll-Fee

The first 18 km, stretching from Akshardham Temple to Loni will be toll-free, which will provide a seamless experience to the commuters.

Key feature

A 12-kilometre-long (7.5 mi) elevated corridor will be constructed over the Rajaji National Park to protect wildlife, thus it will be the second highway in India to have a wildlife protection corridor after NH-44.