PM Modi to lay foundation stone for Delhi-Meerut Expressway on Dec. 31

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on lay the foundation stone of Delhi-Meerut Expressway project, aimed at easing traffic congestion in the national capital on December 31.

Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Harsh Vardhan, MoS, Culture and Tourism(I/C) and Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma, MoS Statistics and Programme Implementation (I/C), External Affairs and Overseas Indian Affairs General V.K. Singh and MoS Road Transport and Shipping P. Radhakrishnan will also be present on the occasion.

The alignment of Delhi-Meerut Express will start from Nizammudin Bridge [T point km 00.000] from Delhi and will continue on existing NH - 24 upto Dasna [km 30.38]. From Dasna there will be completely a new alignment upto Meerut. The alignment will terminate on inner ring road/ Meerut bypass near Railway crossing [km 66] at Meerut.

Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said, "There is an urgent need for an expressway between Delhi and Meerut because NH- 58, the only existing link between the two places is heavily congested with traffic."

The project is proposed under four packages with the three packages Nizamuddin Bridge to UP Border, UP Border to Dasna and Dasna to Hapur project cost at Rs 2,809.6 crore. The fourth package will be a new alignment of Delhi Meerut Expressway from Dasna to Meerut and six laning of connector.

The 87 km project besides 9 km connector will have 6 lane expressway and 4+4 lane highway, service roads, cycle tracks, flyovers, elevated sections, major and minor bridges, railway over bridges, vehicular underpasses and pedestrian underpasses.

The total land required for three packages is 348.6 hectares of which 343.36 hectare has already been acquired.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had last month laid the foundation stone of 341 km three national highway projects - the Eastern Peripheral Highway, Western Peripheral Highway and 8 laning of the National Highway between Mukarba Chowk in Delhi and Panipat in Haryana.