Modi Opens Rs11,000-Crore Dwarka Expressway and UER-II to Ease Delhi Traffic

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated two flagship highway projects in the National Capital Region—the Delhi section of the Dwarka Expressway and Urban Extension Road-II (UER-II)—built at a combined cost of almost Rs 11,000 crore. The ceremony in north-west Delhi was attended by Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini. The 29-km Dwarka Expressway segment and the 40-km UER-II form part of the Centre’s Bharatmala programme and are designed to decongest some of India’s busiest arterial routes. Gadkari said the new corridors should cut traffic snarls in the Delhi region by about 50%, easing travel between the capital, Gurgaon and the airport while diverting long-haul freight away from residential areas. Engineers incorporated several sustainability features, including the use of hundreds of thousands of tonnes of municipal waste from Delhi’s landfills as fill material for UER-II. Modi said the projects mark a “development revolution” for the capital and will boost connectivity across Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.