India’s 1st smart-green highway
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the first phase of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, which has cut down the travel time between the two cities to 40 minutes and hence, saved about two-and-a-half hours.
14-lane highway
The Expressway is India’s first 14-lane highway and has been described as ‘road to freedom from pollution’.
Cost
The whole cost of project is Rs 7,500 crore
Aim
The Expressway project would provide faster and safer connectivity between Delhi and Meerut, and with Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Length
The total length of the project is 82 km, in which the first 27.74 kms will be 14-laned, and the rest will be 6-lane expressway.
This Expressway involves construction of 11 flyovers/interchanges, 5 major and 24 minor bridges, 3 ROBs (Rail over bridges), 36 vehicular and 14 pedestrian underpasses.
It will also have an elevated section of 5.91 kms.
Bicycle tracks
This would be the first Expressway with a dedicated bicycle track on the nearly 28 km stretch between Delhi and Dasna.
Completion
The work on the stretch was completed within 17 months before the deadline of 30 months. The whole project will be completed by March 2019.
9 km stretch
The Expressway will have 31 traffic signals on the Delhi-Meerut road. And the 9 km stretch starts at Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi, then connected to NH 24 and will lead to NH 58.
