Delhi-Dehradun Express approved; Now Dehradun in just two and a half hours!

Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday approved the proposed Delhi-Saharanpur-Dehradun Economic Corridor, which is worth Rs 13000 crore.

The center said that the expressway will reduce the distance between the two cities from 235 kilometers to 210 kilometers, and will increase the travel time from 6.5 hours, until now, to only 2.5 hours.

The Delhi-Saharanpur-Dehradun Economic Corridor, which is currently under construction, will be the first highway in the country to have a 12-km elevated corridor to protect wildlife. It will be the largest such corridor in Asia.

The center has decided to execute the expressway under EPC mode.

The entire corridor is designed for driving with a minimum speed of 100 kmph and will have roadside facilities every 25–30 km to enhance the experience for road users. Closed toll mechanisms will be adopted to enable payment only to the extent of the highway used.

The development of this corridor will boost the economy of the region being served by the highway, especially in Uttarakhand.

With a 25 km elevated road — 6 km open and 14 km in the tunnel, the 6-lane highway will pass through ancient forest areas. The government further stated that the process of land acquisition and environmental clearance for the project is in the final stages.

In this year’s budget, the Center along with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman allocated an amount of ₹ 1.18 lakh crore for the highway areas, which will speed up execution of major highways as well as projects. An official release of the Transport Ministry, Delhi-Saharanpur-Dehradun Economic Corridor, which is currently under construction, is expected to be operational in about two years from now.