NEW DELHI: National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has opened the 9-km stretch of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway between DND Flyway and Jaitpur on a trial basis, offering relief to commuters travelling between Ashram, Kalindi Kunj and Faridabad.With this section now operational, motorists from east and south Delhi, Noida and Ghaziabad can seamlessly access Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and travel uninterrupted to Jaipur and Sawai Madhopur.The Jaitpur-KMP (Kundli-Manesar-Palwal) interchange section has already been opened to traffic.Nearly 8.5 km of the newly opened 9-km stretch is elevated. Officials said 50 km of the 59-km Delhi link from DND Flyway to the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway’s junction with KMP Expressway had been opened in phases.With DND-Jaitpur stretch becoming operational, Delhi is now fully connected to the country’s longest access-controlled expressway.Delhi-Mumbai Expressway was originally planned from Sohna to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) near Mumbai. But in Aug 2018, NHAI had proposed to extend the alignment to DND Flyway to ensure the corridor began from Delhi.Officials said trial runs are conducted only after construction is completed and safety audits are carried out. During this period, commuters are not charged toll.The exercise allows NHAI to identify and rectify any deficiencies before the stretch is formally commissioned.“Some traffic heading to Faridabad, Ballabhgarh and Sohna will shift to the expressway from Ring Road and Mathura Road, which face congestion daily. People can reach Faridabad from DND Flyway in 20 minutes. Now it takes more than 30 minutes to cover the section between Ashram and Badarpur border,” said Rohit Singha, a regular commuter to Faridabad from east Delhi.At a recent review meeting chaired by Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari, NHAI officials said the expressway is likely to be fully operational up to Vadodara by Dec.The Centre is also building a direct link from the expressway to Noida International Airport. In March, the Union Cabinet approved a modified alignment that includes an 11-km elevated stretch between Faridabad and the airport at a revised cost of Rs 3,631 crore.
