The Government is working to decongest Delhi with a larger vision of improving ease of living and mobility, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari Tuesday said.

The road transport and highways minister was addressing the media after inspecting the DND–Faridabad–Sohna Access Controlled Highway Project, being developed to provide seamless access to the Noida International Airport at Jewar and the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway.

Union Minister Krishan Pal Gurjar, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Haryana PWD minister Ranbir Singh Gangwa were also present during the inspection.

Developed under the Bharatmala Pariyojana, the access-controlled highway project has a total length of approximately 59.063 km and an estimated cost of Rs 4,463 crore. The corridor will connect Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gurugram, and Sohna through a high-speed, six-lane access-controlled highway.

Gangwa said that once operational, the Delhi–Faridabad stretch (30 kms) will cut the travel time to 20 minutes. He said work on the Delhi–Faridabad section is complete, while the extension up to Jewar Airport is expected within a year.

According to the National Highways Authority of India, the project incorporates several advanced engineering features and modern construction technologies. One of its key highlights is the construction of a 140-metre-long Network Arch Bridge (NAB), among the most advanced steel bridge structures in India. The bridge has been designed using modern tied-arch technology with a crossed hanger arrangement, enhancing structural strength, durability, and resilience during seismic activity.

The highway project emphasises sustainable and environment-friendly construction practices.

Approximately 2 lakh metric tonnes of inert material generated from the bio-mining of the Okhla Landfill and Ghazipur Landfill have been utilised in road construction, reducing dependence on natural borrow materials. The project also includes noise barriers, landscaping, and plantation works.

Meanwhile, Gadkari said said the Centre is working to make Delhi’s transport network modern and future-ready by constructing new expressways, ring roads, tunnels and elevated corridors.

He said the government is currently involved in road projects worth Rs 13,000 crore in Delhi while it will spend another Rs 34,500 crore in national capital’s upcoming projects to reduce congestion, pollution and fuel consumption.

The upcoming projects include a 6-lane UER-II Extension to Delhi-Dehradun Expressway at a cost of Rs 3,500 crore, 6-lane Delhi-Dehradun Expressway to Noida-Faridabad (Rs 7,500 crore), 6-lane Delhi-Amritsar-Katra connectivity to UER-II (Rs 1,500 crore) and 6-lane Shiv Murti-Nelson Mandela Marg Tunnel (Rs 7,000 crore).

The upcoming road projects also include a Rs 6,500 crore Service Road on Urban Extension Road-II (UER-II), a Rs 1,500 crore project for Haryana-Delhi Border to Punjabi Bagh, and the Rs 1,500 crore Delhi-Haryana Border project.