Two important road links are being built in India at present – image courtesy of © Dmitry Rukhlenko | Dreamstime.com
Work is being carried out on two major road connections in India at present, which will cut congestion and journey times when they open to drivers in 2023.
The Dwarka Expressway will set a number of precedents for India when complete. This 29km link will feature India’s first elevated urban expressway stretch as well as India’s longest and widest urban road tunnel stretch. With eight lanes in either direction, the expressway will be access-controlled and link Dwarka and Gurugram.
The route runs between Shiv-Murti on National Highway-8 and the Kherki Daula Toll Plaza and is also called the Northern Peripheral Road. The link forms part of the Indian Government’s Bharatmala Project and is expected to reduce congestion on the existing Delhi - Gurgaon highway, which at present is carrying higher volumes of traffic than it was originally designed for. Around 10km of the route is in Delhi while 19km is in Haranya.
The new expressway will connect with the new India International Convention Centre (IICC) as well as providing an additional link to IGI Airport. In addition to the urban elevated stretch, the route features four multi-level interchanges and a 3.6km road tunnel section.
Meanwhile, a new tunnel section being built to connect Pune and Satara is expected to help traffic flow. The project is costing close to US$117 million and is due for completion by the second quarter of 2023. The project features dual tunnel sections that measure 6.4km in length and will boost capacity, as well as making considerable reductions in journey times for drivers. At present, driving from Pune to Satara takes 45 minutes on average, while driving from Satara to Pune will take 15 minutes on average. The new tunnels will boost capacity and reduce journey times in both directions to 5-10 minutes on average.
