Work on 22 stretches of the expressway is expected to be issued by mid Feb

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will reportedly begin construction work on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in March 2019. As reported, the authority has received multiple bids for six stretches in Haryana and Rajasthan, totalling 173 km, which will be awarded by the end of January; while work on the 22 stretches is expected to be issued by mid February. 

The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is expected to reduce the travel time to 12 hours from 25 hours. Also, the expressway will be a signal-free access controlled, eight-lane, high speed corridor and India’s longest expressway. It will pass through five states and is expected to be completed by March 2020. 

Reports suggest that land acquisition is at the final stage in Haryana and the work is expected to commence any time between February 15 to the second week of March. NHAI is acquiring about 12,000 hectare for the project and has reportedly engaged professionals to fast-track the process. The works are fully funded by the government, and the NHAI is reportedly getting at least four bidders for every package. 

Work on the Vadodara-Mumbai stretch is already underway. NHAI has divided the rest of the work into 34 stretches in order to begin the work simultaneously. The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is expected to reduce the traffic congestion on the NH-8 highway that connects both the cities.