Government considering proposal to build a new Greenfield expressway

For the proposed 261 km project the total cost would be Rs. 32,800 cr

In order to ease traffic on NH-8 connecting Gurgaon and Jaipur, the government is considering a proposal to build a new Greenfield expressway with an estimated cost of Rs. 32,800 crore.

"We have received a proposal to build new Greenfield expressway between Delhi and Jaipur. The proposal is on consideration stage and depending upon the viability, very soon a decision will be made in this regard," Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari told reporters here after reviewing the progress of Delhi-Jaipur Highway.

"The total project cost would be Rs. 32,800 crore for the proposed 261 Km Greenfield expressway. For the project, around 2800 hectares need to be acquired. The cost of the land acquisition will be the tune of Rs. 18,000 crore,"he added.

The proposed expressway will start from the south of Indira Gandhi Airport in Delhi and end at Daulatpura on the existing NH 8.The expressway will not only ease the traffic on the existing NH 8 but also reduce the travelling time between the two cities.

Meanwhile, Gadkari added that the much delayed project of six-laning of 226 km long Gurgaon-Jaipur section of the NH 8 will be dedicated to the public in December this year."The previous government is largely responsible for delays in this crucial highway project, which should have been completed by 2011. Over 90 per cent of the work is completed on the stretch and we hope to finish the remaining work and planning to dedicate it to the commuters by December this year," he added.

According to him, Out of the total 57 structures, 50 have been completed. The other four structures will be completed by December and the balance three structures is likl;ey to be completed by March 2016.

Pink City Expressway Pvt Ltd, a consortium of ETA & KMC construction is the developer of the project. The scheduled commissioning date for the project was October 2011 but it faced several hurdles and issues related with land acquisition, environmental clearance, shifting of utility services, litigation, banking which led to unexpected delays.