Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said that the 212-kilometre-long Delhi-Dehradun Greenfield Access Controlled Expressway will be completed by December of this year which has come with a cost of Rs 12,000 crore.
Gadkari added that the expressway has been elevated for around 18 kilometres as it passes through populous areas in the first phase, which is 31.6 kilometres long and extends from Akshardham to the Eastern Peripheral Expressway crossing.
There are extensive forests on both sides of the expressway, and wildlife activity is active. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is taking precautions to guarantee that the noise of vehicles on the expressway does not bother animals.
NHAI has built approximately 8 underpasses along the Expressway to let wild creatures such as tigers and elephants migrate throughout the day. As all traffic comes to a halt in the middle of the night, panicked wild animals cross the road.
Details about Delhi-Dehradun Expressway:
1- The Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, also known as NH 72A, includes four sections.
2- It is being built from the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway (DME) in Akshardham in Delhi to Dehradun in Uttarakhand, via Shastri Park, Khajuri Khas, the EPE junction at Khekra in Mandola, Baghpat, Shamli, and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
3- The road from Ganeshpur to Dehradun has been kept secure for wildlife.
4-There are 6 animal underpasses, 2 elephant underpasses, 2 huge bridges, and 13 small bridges planned for a 12-kilometer elevated route.
5- The expressway also provides 12 way-side services for the benefit of passengers.
According to officials, the Delhi-Dehradun Economic Highway, Asia's longest wildlife corridor, is expected to be completed by December of this year. If completed, the highway will lower the current six-hour travel time between Delhi and Dehradun to just two and a half hours.
