By rosebell
While the scheduled date b the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for completion of construction of the Delhi section of the delayed Dwarka Expressway project (NH 248-BB) is December 2024, the initially determined time was last December and the revised timeline is said to reflect the complexities of the ongoing work.
Decreasing congestion on the Delhi-Gurugram Expressway by 30%, and offering relief to the region’s heavily trafficked roads, are the advantages of the Delhi segment of the eight-lane high-speed expressway.
Currenly, the Gurugram segment is operational, whereas the Delhi segment awaits tunnel completion.
Due to construction delays, primarily related to the project’s tunnel, completion of the project has been delayed. However, the NHAI has now reaffirmed the new deadline for this section of India’s first urban expressway with a single-pillar elevated structure.
Building of the new tunnel that links the Dwarka Expressway directly to Palam Airport is nearing completion, and only a small portion of work remaining, while the intention of this connection is to divert a significant volume of traffic away from the Delhi-Gurugram Expressway, which currently serves as the primary route for vehicles heading to the airport.
Additionall, reduced congestion and contribute to pollution control efforts within the area, are the expected advantages from the improved traffic distribution.
The INR90bn ($1.07bn) Dwarka Expressway stretches from Shiv Murti in Mahipalpur, Delhi, to the Kherki Daula toll plaza in Gurugram.
According to NHAI’s regional officer Mohammad Safi, the December deadline remains firm, with all resources directed toward making the expressway fully functional by year-end, reported INFORMALNEWZ.
In order to supporting the elevated segment of the Dwarka Expressway a single-pillar structure was used, that is made up of almost 200,000 metric tonnes of steel and two million cubic metres of concrete were required for construction.
With 29km length, the expressway has 18.9km located within Gurugram and 10.1km within Delhi, whereas most of the route is elevated, with an underground segment forming the tunnel portion.
As part of a broader plan to improve connectivity to the airport, the expressway is going to provide southern access to Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport through a twin tube shallow tunnel.
Access from the western side to Terminal 3, will be provide through a deep tunnel, presently in the design phase.
With the aim of connecting the expressway to the railway under-bridge (RuB), and facilitating smoother movement around the airport area, additional provisions include an 8-lane, 3.6km shallow tunnel will be presented.
Involving a proposed tunnel linking the Shiv Murti interchange to the T3 road, the Dwarka Expressway project intended to reduce traffic density in the Mahipalpur area. An additional tunnel aims to manage traffic flow from Dwarka and West Delhi.
The project is funded through the Bharatmala Pariyojana under the National Corridor Efficiency Improvement Programme, which also covers the construction of the Gurgaon Ring Road. This expressway forms Phase I of the ring road network around Gurgaon.
