India opens phase 1 of 14 lane Delhi-Meerut Expressway

Construction industry news : Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the Delhi section of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway – phase 1 of the first 14 lane Expressway in India, developed by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and Welspun Enterprises.

The phase 1 of the INR 4,975 crore Delhi-Meerut Expressway has been laid from Nizamuddin Bridge to Delhi’s border with Uttar Pradesh. This phase 1, which has been developed in 18 months, is an 8.7km stretch of the 96km highway project which will have another three phases to be developed.

According to Welspun Enterprises, the 96km long Delhi-Meerut Expressway, which has been designed for a maximum speed of 120kmph, will considerably decrease the travel time from 45 minutes to only 8 minutes. It will also help in bringing down pollution, enable better fuel efficiency while improving quality of life of people.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi opens Phase 1 of the 14 lane Delhi-Meerut Expressway. Photo courtesy of Welspun Enterprises Limited/PR Newswire Association LLC.

Phase 1 of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway comprises cycling tracks on both sides of the highway. It also boasts of vertical gardens, solar panels to provide lighting in the night time, replicas of Qutub Minar, Ashoka Stambh and other monuments, CCTVs, Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS) among others.

The Delhi-Meerut Expressway phase 1 has a six-lane expressway in the center, surrounded by two four-lane highways on both the sides.

Commenting on the opening of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway phase 1, BK Goenka – Chairman of Welspun Group said: “We are thankful and proud to be associated with NHAI under the Hybrid Annuity Model. Welspun Enterprises was the first Company to achieve the financial closure for this expressway project.

“We are proud to contribute through industry first initiatives like vertical gardens, cycling track, solar lighting and beautification of this stretch. The completion of this expressway along with NHAI strongly showcases our strength in Infrastructure and truly resonates with our philosophy of ‘Leading Tomorrow Together’.”