Delhi-Haridwar Expressway To Reduce Travel Time To 90 Minutes; Nitin Gadkari Says E-Way To Be Ready In 2 Months

Delhi-Haridwar Expressway: Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said that the new expressway connecting Delhi and Haridwar is likely to be ready in the next two months, which would cut travel time between the two cities significantly. Speaking at the Confederation of Indian Industry's (CII) National Conference on the Future of India, Gadkari said that after the expressway is completed, travelling between the two cities would take hardly 1.5 hours.

Delhi To Haridwar In 90 Minutes?

The new expressway is expected to bring the travel time between Delhi and Haridwar down from the present 3 to 4 hours to just about 90 minutes. That would make the trip to the holy city far easier. This development comes after the Delhi-Dehradun Greenfield Expressway opened and cut the journey between the two cities from nearly 6 hours to around 2 hours.

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Better Highways Shortened Several Routes

Gadkari also spoke about how better highways have already shortened several other routes. A trip from Delhi to Meerut, which used to take about 3.5 hours, can now be done in 45 to 50 minutes. Delhi to Jaipur has come down from 5 hours to nearly 2 hours.

He further mentioned that the upgrades on the Bengaluru-Chennai route will reduce travel time from 4 to 5 hours to around 2 hours. According to the minister, improved highways are not just making intercity travel more convenient but also bringing down transportation and logistics costs.

Talking about the bigger picture, Gadkari said the government is planning 36 green expressways across the country. He also shared that road projects worth about Rs 1.6 lakh crore are currently underway in Delhi to improve the capital’s connectivity.

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Gadkari Highlights India's Fallen Logistics Costs

Nitin Gadkari said India’s logistics costs have come down from around 16% of GDP to nearly 9%. He credited the drop to better infrastructure and said it is helping the economy grow. He pointed out that China’s logistics costs are about 8% of GDP, while the figure for the United States is around 12%. According to the minister, lower logistics costs can make India more competitive in global trade.