Delhi-Meerut Expressway, which is partially open for traffic, is likely to be completed ahead of expected time. According to reports, the second phase of the expressway, which falls between UP Gate and Dasna in Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh, may see completion of construction by the end of this month.
The official inauguration of the 82-km-long Delhi-Meerut expressway is pending due to the incomplete second phase. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari is likely to inaugurate the expressway around first week of September, after the second phase is completed.
Rajendra Agarwal, BJP MP from Meerut, earlier quoted National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials, saying that a pending rail overbridge (RoB) at Chipiyana in the second phase of the highway will be completed by end of August. This RoB is the only pending construction that is left before the second phase of the expressway is fully completed. Agarwal shared this information after a meeting with Union Minister Nitin Gadkari last week.
The first phase of this smart highway was opened for public on April 1 this year, three years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated it in May 2018. The project has been developed at a cost of ₹8,346 crore, Delhi-Meerut Expressway promises to cut down distance between the two cities drastically from about two hours to just 45 minutes.
Delhi-Meerut Expressway has a speed limit ranging between 80 kmph and 100 kmph across different stretches of the highway. There will be display screens at every 10 kms to show the speed of each vehicles passing through. This is also the first highway to use Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cum FASTag based Multi Lane Free Flow Tolling System. It will help deduct toll fees without stopping vehicles at toll gates to ensure free flow of high speed traffic.
To ensure security of commuters on this highway, as many as 72 CCTV cameras have been installed in the fourth phase of Expressway from Dasna to Meerut. In all, more than 4,500 lights and cameras have been installed on the entire road for the safety of commuters.
