Rs 6,444-cr Delhi-Meerut e-way to free NCR from pollution

In a major boost to infrastructure development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday laid the foundation stone of the of 74-km long Delhi-Dasna-Meerut 14-lane expressway and upgradation of the 22-km Dasna-Hapur section of NH 24.

According to experts, the Rs 6,444-crore Delhi-Meerut expressway will not only reduce travelling time between Delhi and Meerut to 45 minutes from the current two-and-a-half hours but also cut down on pollution. There is an urgent need for an expressway between Delhi and Meerut, as NH 58, the only existing link between the two cities, is heavily congested.

The alignment of the expressway will start from the Nizamuddin Bridge in Delhi and through NH-24 up to Dasna. From Dasna, there will be completely a new alignment up to Meerut. The alignment will terminate on the Inner Ring Road/bypass near the railway crossing at Meerut.

Commuters will have to pay a toll to use the access-controlled expressway, whose design speed is 120 kmph. According to an official, the highway will have an electronic toll collection system to reduce traffic jams.

A 2008 study says around 0.14 million passenger cars used this corridor. Minister of road transport, highways & shipping Nitin Gadkari said the expressway would give a big boost to the development of western Uttar Pradesh. The road would make commuting to cities such as Dehradun, Moradabad and Bareilly much faster and hassle-free.