New Delhi: There is great news for the passengers waiting for the inauguration of Delhi-Saharanpur-Dehradun Expressway. The trial run of this important highway, which has been under construction for a long time, has started. It was opened for vehicular movement on a trial basis from 12 o’clock on Sunday night. Earlier, the barricades of the expressway were removed in Geeta Colony area, after which the movement on the road started smoothly.
According to officials, with the opening of the expressway, the travel time from Delhi to Dehradun will be reduced to approximately two and a half hours. Till now it used to take four to six hours to reach Dehradun from Delhi. After the full operation of the new highway, the travel time will be reduced to half and the number of tourists visiting Uttarakhand is also expected to increase.
PM Modi had laid the foundation stone
The foundation stone of this approximately 210 km long project was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 4 December 2021. The construction of this state-of-the-art expressway has cost approximately Rs 11,800 crore. The project has been completed in several phases, with environmental clearance, land acquisition and structure construction being the most challenging phases.
This expressway has been designed as an elevated structure within Delhi. It starts near Akshardham Metro station, from where it connects to the Delhi–Meerut Expressway. With this, passengers will get the opportunity to travel directly on high-speed within Delhi without facing traffic jams.
According to the local people, the opening of the expressway will also provide relief from the old problem of traffic jam in the capital. Especially in Khajuri Khas and its surrounding areas, the long hours-long traffic jam every day will now be reduced to a great extent. There was a continuous demand from the residents of these areas for early opening of the expressway. Technical challenges, weather related obstacles and traffic diversion problems were the main reasons behind the delay in construction. However, now all the hurdles have been removed and the expressway is completely ready.
There is also a possibility of its formal inauguration soon after the start of the trial run. The relevant agencies are completing final testing and safety checks. Officials say that if the trial is successful, the expressway will be completely opened to the general public.