Current Summary
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has said a new expressway connecting Delhi and Haridwar is expected to open next month and will cut travel time between the two cities from three-to-four hours to about 1.5 hours. Speaking at the CII's conference 'Highways of India's Future: Smart, Safe and Sustainable,' part of the National Conference on the Future of India, he cited the recently opened Delhi-Dehradun Greenfield Expressway, which cut that corridor's travel time from seven hours to about two hours, and the Delhi-Meerut route, where travel time fell from three-and-a-half hours to 40-50 minutes, as comparable examples of how new road infrastructure is reducing travel times nationally. No specific project name, contractor, toll structure, or official NHAI completion date has been disclosed, and the statement has not yet been corroborated by project documentation.
What We Know
- Nitin Gadkari has said new road projects will cut Delhi-Haridwar travel time to around 1.5 hours.
- The minister linked the projects to a boost in tourism and jobs.
- Gadkari said the expressway could be ready within the next two months.
- The current Delhi-Haridwar road journey takes about three to four hours.
- He compared the project to the Delhi-Dehradun Greenfield Expressway, which cut travel time on that route from five-six hours to about two hours.
- Gadkari said the Delhi-Haridwar expressway is expected to open 'next month.'
- He cited the Delhi-Meerut corridor, where travel time fell from three-and-a-half hours to 40-50 minutes, as a further comparison.
What Is Still Unclear
- Which specific road or expressway project is being referenced.
- Current construction status and an official completion date.
- Exact route and stretches covered by the claimed 1.5-hour travel time.
What Changed
- 28 Oct, 07:40 amGadkari has since specified that the Delhi-Haridwar route is expected to open 'next month,' narrowing his earlier 'within two months' timeframe, and cited Delhi-Meerut travel time falling from three-and-a-half hours to 40-50 minutes as a further comparison. No project name, contractor, toll structure, or official NHAI date has been disclosed.
- 28 Oct, 05:30 amGadkari, speaking at the CII's National Conference on the Future of India, said the new expressway connecting Delhi and Haridwar is expected to be ready within the next two months, cutting the current three-to-four-hour journey to about 90 minutes. He framed it as enabling day trips for a Ganga dip and breakfast in Haridwar, and cited the recently opened Delhi-Dehradun Greenfield Expressway, which cut that route's travel time from five-six hours to about two hours, as a comparable precedent. No specific project name, contractor, or official completion date from NHAI has been disclosed.
- 27 Oct, 10:01 amSignal detected: Gadkari Says New Road Projects Could Cut Delhi-Haridwar Travel Time to 1.5 Hours