Expressways to link Delhi to Jaipur, Chandigarh on cards

The government said it plans to build two new expressways linking neighbouring pink city Jaipur and Chandigarh to the national capital with a cost of nearly $3 billion (Rs 12,750 crore).

Road Transport and Highways Minister CP Joshi said the centre has decided to build Delhi-Jaipur and Delhi-Chandigarh expressways. Ministry officials will take up the issue with states of Delhi, Rajasthan and Haryana. Once they come on board, the road ministry will get the detailed project report, Joshi added.

The move comes at a time when the government is re-examining a proposal to set up Expressway Authority of India (EAI) on the pattern of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to facilitate building over 18,000 km of roads for high speed traffic entailing Rs 4,50,000 crore investment.

Asked about proposed cost for both the expressways, Joshi said that these are yet to be assessed. However, going by estimates of Rs 18 crore (rpt) Rs 18 crore per km for a four-lane expressway and Rs 25.5 crore (rpt) Rs 25.5 crore per km for a six-way project, the total cost of both the schemes comes in the range of Rs 9,000-Rs 12,750 crore. Sources said both the expressways would comprise 250 km stretches each.

Joshi said the need for the expressways to both the state capitals was felt in view of increasing traffic. Present highways - Delhi-Jaipur stretch on NH-8 and Delhi-Chandigarh stretch on NH-1 witness heavy traffic.

Both the projects would be on new alignments. Asked about existing norms that restricts Centre from building competing roads to present tolled highways, the Minister said the proposed expressways would start from new points to avoid contractual issues.

Expressways provide unhindered, high-speed, and safe movement of traffic and the government last year had announced setting up an EAI, a nodal body to build 18,637 km of expressways in three phases by 2022.

The Transport Ministry in December, 2008, had hired a consultant for formulating the master plan for the national expressway network in a phased manner, which was accepted by the government. However, the plan was later shelved with the government saying it was facing problems in land acquisition and the issue was being re-examined. Meanwhile the government plans to build 10,000 kms of expressways under phase VI under the National Highways Development Project (NHDP).

The project is India's largest highways programme to build and upgrade 54,000 km of roads at an estimated expenditure of Rs 3 lakh crore.