The eagerly anticipated Delhi-Dehradun Expressway will be ready by the end of 2023 and open to the public on January 1, 2024, according to Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, who made the announcement recently. The well-planned expressway will take just two-hours to connect the two cities. “Construction on the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway project would be finished by December end,” said Gadkari during a visit to the Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh. “From January 1 next year, people will be able to travel from Dehradun to Delhi in just two hours,” he stated. Currently, it takes between 5.30 and 6 hours to drive from Delhi to Dehradun. The Delhi-Dehradun expressway in detail: The expressway between Delhi and Dehradun will cut the travel distance from 235 km to 210 km. The expressway's construction will cost approximately Rs. 130 billion. Starting from North East Delhi, the 210 km highway will travel via Baghpat, Shamli, Muzzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, and Dehrudun. The highway will include 60 underpasses and 7 interchanges for simple entry and departure. The expressway would consist of facilities like closed toll lanes, CCTV security, and rest areas every 25 kilometres. The bare minimum speed for motoring will be 100 km/h. The final 20 km will travel through Raja Ji National Park's eco-sensitive area, where Asia's largest elevated wildlife six-lane corridor measuring 12 km will be built. This corridor will feature the 340 m-long Daat Kali tunnel. Several animal crossings have been constructed in the Ganeshpur-Dehradun segment to prevent animal-vehicle collisions, and the 340 meter long tunnel at DatKaali temple in Dehradun will help reduce the impact on wildlife. The development of tourism will be boosted by the construction of the corridor, particularly in the state of Uttarakhand. In a recent statement, Gadkari added, “Char Dham Yatra goes on for six months at present. But, once the all-weather road project is complete, devotees can visit the Himalayan temples throughout the year.”