Here’s why India’s first elevated highway is special, ET TravelWorld

PM Modi threw open a key section of the Haryana part of Dwarka Expressway on March 11. This part of the expressway stretches from Dwarka (Delhi) to Kherki Daula Toll Plaza (Gurgaon, Haryana).

The total length of Dwarka Expressway is 29 km, out of which 18.9 km falls in Haryana, while the remaining 10.1 km is in Delhi.

This section of the Dwarka expressway will make travel easier and faster between Haryana and Delhi’s IGI Airport. The travel time on the stretch is expected to be around 30 minutes. It will have a number of underpasses, flyovers, tunnels and elevated structures. As this part is on an alternate road connecting Delhi and Gurgaon, it will cut traffic jams on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway.

This section will be known for a number of design firsts in the country. These include a) Widest on single pier b) longest & widest urban tunnel, c) blast-proof tunnel, d) 75 per cent elevation, etc.

The elevated section of Dwarka Expressway in Gurgaon, which spans 19km and has 8 lanes, has been constructed on a single pier. This unique design has two advantages – it minimizes the amount of land required for the expressway and allows for wider service roads, which will accommodate the city’s high-volume traffic. Additionally, the expressway’s layout ensures that there can be no development, such as shops or houses, along its path or spurs. Entry onto the expressway is restricted to specific sector roads connected to interchanges, ensuring smooth access to the main speedway.

The Delhi section of the expressway near IGI airport now boasts an 8-lane, 3.6km long tunnel. This tunnel, known as a ‘shallow tunnel’, was built to avoid any security issues or interference with the airport radar. With approximately 40,000 cars passing through this section daily, constructing the tunnel posed logistical challenges. However, the tunnel includes an emergency exit and a dedicated control room to ensure the safety of commuters.

The expressway has a direct link to IGI’s Terminal 3 via a 2.3km tunnel, which connects to the road from Mahipalpur to T3. A 500-meter section of the tunnel, located near the airport, is blastproof.

Dwarka Expressway is primarily a flyway, with 75 per cent of its 28.5km stretch elevated to separate expressway and city traffic. This design ensures smoother flow and faster speeds, unlike other older highways in Delhi and NCR. At intersections, traffic will operate on three levels – the elevated expressway, surface road, and underpasses. This innovative layout aims to improve traffic efficiency and reduce congestion in the region.

The Prime Minister will inaugurate the 19km Gurgaon section of the Dwarka Expressway, which stretches from the Dwarka border to the Delhi-Jaipur highway (NH8). The remaining 9.5km in the Delhi section will open later this year.

Since the expressway has been designed with an eye on future traffic volumes, it has the country’s first 4-level interchanges at three locations— Shiv Murti, Yashobhoomi in Dwarka and the approach to IMT Manesar in Gurgaon. At Shiv Murti in Mahipalpur, the interchange has tunnels at two levels, a surface road and a flyover. At the other locations, there are two levels of elevated traffic (flyover above flyover), underpass and surface road. The new convention centre at Yashobhoomi, which is the country’s largest, has access to the expressway both through an elevated road and an underpass.

The Dwarka Expressway is set to become the fourth major road and second expressway connecting Delhi and Gurgaon. This new route will help alleviate the heavy traffic on the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway, significantly improving travel time between south Delhi, west Delhi, and Gurgaon. The Dwarka Expressway will have two access points on the NH8, one near Kherki Daula in Gurgaon and the other at Shiv Murti in Delhi. It has been designed to cater to the expected traffic demands between the two cities for the next 25 years.

The Dwarka Expressway project, which was initiated by the Haryana government in 2006, faced numerous delays and obstacles due to land acquisition issues and court cases. However, the growing demand for housing in the New Gurgaon area, along with the need for better connectivity, prompted the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to take charge. In 2016, the Dwarka Expressway was officially declared a national highway, and the NHAI redesigned the project to include an elevated expressway with the original road running below it. Construction on the project began in March 2019, aiming to fulfill the long-awaited connectivity and accommodate the population boom in the region.

The Delhi-Gurgaon expressway may not have a toll plaza once it is fully operational, according to Union highways minister Nitin Gadkari. He stated in Parliament that no new toll plaza will be set up within 6-7 km of cities and industrial areas. The provision for a 34-lane toll plaza on the border is yet to be confirmed if it will be implemented.