Cabinet note on Delhi-Jaipur Expressway next month

The government Tuesday directed the road transport and highways ministry to bring a cabinet note seeking in-principle approval for the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway in about a month's time.

"Total road length will be 272 km. The ministry plans to sign the state support agreement by February 28 and the project would be awarded by September 2014 after completing all the intermediate steps," the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement.

"The ministry has examined multiple financing options for the expressway and will proceed with the most viable one. If successful, the model can be replicated for all other expressways in the country, which are by and large parallel to existing national highways."

According to the PMO, the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway has been taken up as a priority project by the government. As on date, there is no expressway built by the central government and the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway would be the first.

The road transport and highways ministry has estimated that the total project cost for the expressway will be approximately Rs.9,460 crore and with land acquisition and pre-construction activities, the cost is estimated at Rs.11,750 crore.