NEW DELHI: In a major infrastructure push to ease traffic congestion and shorten travel time in Delhi-NCR, PM Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated two major projects—a key stretch of the Urban Extension Road-II and the Delhi section of Dwarka Expressway—worth a total cost of nearly Rs 11,000 crore.
Speaking on the occasion, the PM said that amid the celebrations of ‘Azadi Ka Mahotsav’, the national capital is witnessing a development revolution. The new projects will make life easier for the people of Delhi, Gurugram, and the entire NCR region, he said, adding that commuting to offices and factories will become easier, saving time for everyone. “Delhi-NCR is now among the most connected areas in the world in terms of metro network,” Modi asserted.
Underlining a feature of the Urban Extension Road, stating that it is also helping to free Delhi from its garbage mounds, the PM said that millions of tonnes of waste material have been used in the construction of the Urban Extension Road.
He said that by reducing the garbage mounds, the waste material has been repurposed for road construction. Pointing out the nearby Bhalswa landfill site and acknowledging the problems faced by families living in its vicinity, he said the government is working to free residents from such challenges.
Praising CM Rekha Gupta for the initiatives to clean the Yamuna river, Modi shared that 16 lakh metric tonnes of silt have already been removed.
Within a short span of time, 650 Delhi Electric Vehicle Interconnector buses have been launched and the fleet of electric buses may cross 2,000, the PM said. Modi also held a roadshow in Mundka-Bakkarwala Village Toll Plaza, Delhi.
Speaking at the event, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said these two projects will reduce traffic jams in Delhi by 50 per cent.
The 10.1 km long Delhi section of Dwarka Expressway has been developed at a cost of around Rs 5,360 crore. The section will also provide multi-modal connectivity to Yashobhoomi, Delhi Metro Blue and Orange lines, the upcoming Bijwasan railway station and Dwarka cluster bus depot.
The stretch has been divided into two parts -- package I: 5.9 km from Shiv Murti intersection to the Road Under Bridge (RUB) at Dwarka Sector-21, and package II: 4.2 km from Dwarka Sector-21 RUB to the Delhi-Haryana Border -- providing direct connectivity to Urban Extension Road-II.
Modi interacted with labourers while inspecting the Dwarka Expressway. He also held a roadshow in Mundka-Bakkarwala Village Toll Plaza, Delhi.
The 19 km-long Haryana section of the Dwarka Expressway was earlier inaugurated by the prime minister in March 2024.
Modi also inaugurated the Alipur to Dichaon Kalan stretch of Urban Extension Road-II (UER-II), along with new links to Bahadurgarh and Sonipat, built at a cost of around Rs 5,580 crore.
It will ease traffic on Delhi's Inner and Outer Ring Roads and busy points like Mukarba Chowk, Dhaula Kuan, and NH-09. The new spurs will give direct access to Bahadurgarh and Sonipat, improve industrial connectivity, cut city traffic, and speed up goods movement in the NCR.
(With inputs from PTI)