31/03/2022
The 210 km long Delhi – Dehradun Expressway is an upcoming access-controlled Expressway connecting Akshardham in Delhi with Dehradun in Uttarakhand and also with Haridwar- famous for its spiritual relevance and one of the highly visited pilgrimage places in India.
With a total cost of Rs 14,000 crore, the Expressway will enhance connectivity between National Capital Delhi and Uttarakhand capital Dehradun. The corridor traverses through Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttrakhand and will connect key urban centres including Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Saharanpur, Loni, Haridwar and Yamunanagar. It is expected to be operational by FY 2024.
The greenfield corridor will reduce transit time between Delhi to Dehradun and will increase the connectivity of major economic nodes in the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan such as Haridwar & Rishikesh. It will also boost tourism by enhancing connectivity to tourist centres in Uttarakhand (Haridwar, Rishikesh, Dehradun)
SALIENT FEATURES
Alignment is optimised to reduce travel time from Delhi to Dehradun to 2.5 hours from 6 hours and Delhi to Haridwar from 5 hours to 2 hours. Six-lane access-controlled greenfield corridor with scope for future expansion to 10 lanes.
14 wayside amenities have been planned to improve the commuter experience. In addition, the brownfield section of Ganeshpur to Saharanpur bypass will also be made access controlled through the development of service roads.
Seven major interchanges along the stretch will provide connectivity to Haridwar, Muzaffarnagar, Shamli, Yamunanagar, Baghpat, Meerut & Baraut along with 2 road-overbridges and 10 bridges on the brownfield section. Provision for rainwater harvesting at 500 m interval at over 400 water recharge points have also been made.
A separate spur of 50 km will boost connectivity to the holy city of Haridwar. This Greenfield alignment is designed to avoid habitation and provide congestion-free travel to enable fuel savings for the commuters. The stretch will be completely access-controlled with a pay-per-use closed-tolling concept. The spur to Haridwar will create a complete ring around the town of Roorkee and enable seamless movement of both freight and passenger traffic.
ADOPTION OF TECHNOLOGY
Fully Access Controlled 6-lane Corridor
Access controlled corridors for better user experience, tolling efficiency
CCTV cameras across the stretch for better passenger safety and real-time monitoring
Closed ETC-enabled tolling system to enable faster toll collection and uninterrupted travel experience
Advanced Traffic Management System, completely automated and intelligent systems for improved efficiency of traffic management and movement
Technology-enabled construction and pre-construction, adoption of advanced technologies such as drone surveys, satellite imaging, LiDAR and Ground Pe*******on Radar, Automatic Traffic Counter & Classifier (ATCC) for accelerated project implementation.
WILDLIFE PROTECTION MEASURES
The Expressway will be Asia’s largest wildlife-elevated corridor with a length of 12 km for unrestricted movement of wildlife. The 340-meter long tunnel near the Daat-Kali temple will also reduce the impact of vehicular movement on wildlife. The alignment of the expressway ensures that the corridor doesn’t pass through Rajaji National Park and minimises tree cutting. 6 animal passes and 2 elephant underpasses of length 200m each are also planned.
GREEN INITIATIVES
Annual reduction of 9.3 million kg of CO2, equivalent to the plantation of 0.5 million trees
Additional roadside plantation of over 35,000 trees and shrubs across the greenfield section to increase plantation cover along the corridor
Installation of smart cameras to monitor the movement of wild animals
Alignment optimised along the channel of river Mohand Rao to ensure minimal disruption to flora and fauna, and provide scenic drive along the river
WAYSIDE AMENITIES
Wayside amenities are being developed across the corridor to enhance the experience of Highway users. As a part of this, standardized world-class infrastructure and ancillary services for the highway network will be provided that will include facilities such as resorts, restaurants, hospitals, food courts, fuel stations, etc. Separate facilities for truckers will include parking, dhaba, auto workshops and warehouses.
