The 82 km long Delhi – Meerut Expressway project, which links Delhi with Meerut in western Uttar Pradesh has been developed at a cost of Rs 8346 crore. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in December 2015, laid the foundation stone of the access-controlled, green and smart Delhi – Meerut Expressway project.
With this opening of this big infra project, the travel time between the national capital and the city of Meerut has reduced from 2.5 hours to just 45 minutes. The 82 km long Delhi – Meerut Expressway project, which links Delhi with Meerut in western Uttar Pradesh has been developed at a cost of Rs 8346 crore. The ambitious Delhi – Meerut Expressway project has been implemented in four packages.
These four packages involved a 8.72 kilometre long six lane expressway/ eight lane NH 24 from Sarai Kale Khan in the national capital to Ghazipur border that was already completed in June 2018, a 19.28 kilometre long six lane expressway/ eight lane NH 24 from Ghazipur border to Dasna in the state of Uttar Pradesh, 22.23 kilometre long six lane NH 24 with 2+2 lane service roads on either sides from Dasna to Hapur in Uttar Pradesh, and a 31.78 kilometre long greenfield six lane expressway from Hapur to Meerut.
The strategical importance
The Delhi – Meerut Expressway project will have a major bridge across the upper Ganga canal, eleven vehicular underpasses, six major junctions, a flyover at the Hapur bypass, seven new minor bridges, two pedestrian underpasses and as many as 105 minor junctions. The expressway project has been developed with an aim to decongest the traffic in the national capital region (NCR) as well as reduce the level of pollution. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had earlier categorically stated that the Delhi – Meerut Expressway project has been designed for a speed of 120-100 km per hour.