24-km section of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway opened to traffic in Faridabad

The 24-km passage of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway passing through the city has been opened for traffic, though the date of its formal inauguration by the NHAI is yet to be announced.

The Rs 1,729-crore project has taken over 38 months for completion — 14 months more than the deadline.

Two lanes of the 12-lane expressway connecting Mithapur (Jaitpur Pushta) located on the Delhi border and Kelly village of Ballabhgarh subdivision in the district have been opened to traffic as it is ready for commuting, said an official.

Vehicles had been allowed to move on this passage for the first time, though movement had been going on partially for the past about four weeks, he said. The work, however, continued till the last week of October.

The opening of the passage is likely to ease traffic on NH-19 and arterial roads in the city as over 50,000 vehicles will be able to use this part of the expressway, which will also provide access to NH-19 (Delhi-Agra highway).

With around six entry and exit points on the passage, the authorities are yet to decide on the toll as the first collection point is located at Kiranj village, around 25 km from Kelly, and located in the third package.

Though the expressway originates at DND flyover in New Delhi, the first package covering the territory of the national capital till Mithapur (Delhi border with Faridabad) is still under construction and unlikely to be available for commuting soon, reveal sources in the NHAI.

While the main carriageway of the expressway in the city comprises six lanes, the service road consists of three lanes on either side. Traffic on 'package three' (near the road dividing Sectors 62-65 and terminating at a junction near the intersection of the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal section of the Western Peripheral Expressway and the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway near Khalilpur) had been opened in May 2023. The total cost of the three packages is Rs 4,463 crore.

The work on 'package two' was launched on August 10, 2021, and was scheduled to be over by August 10, 2023. This part starts from Jaitpur Pushta road at the Faridabad-Delhi border and terminates at the junction near Sectors 62-65 of the HSVP here.

Dhiraj Singh, Project Director, NHAI, said while traffic had been allowed, the date of its formal opening was yet to be revealed by the authorities.