Delhi to Haridwar in 2 hours: PM Modi set to inaugurate expressway
The expressway features Asia's longest wildlife corridor and will reduce travel time to Haridwar to 2 hours. Modi has a deep connection with Uttarakhand, having visited several religious sites
Dehradun/New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu) : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Uttarakhand on Tuesday, a visit considered crucial for the state.
During this visit, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the much-awaited Delhi-Dehradun Expressway and also dedicate the country's first variable speed pump storage plant with a capacity of 1,000 MW in Tehri. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami shared a video of the expressway on the social media platform X, writing, "Delhi-Dehradun Expressway: A Flight of Hope."
The Delhi-Dehradun Expressway is equipped with modern facilities. Its highlight is the 12-kilometer-long elevated wildlife corridor through the Rajaji National Park, considered Asia's longest corridor. This allows wildlife such as elephants and tigers to safely pass beneath the road. Additionally, a new 340-meter-long tunnel has been constructed near the Daat Kali Temple, providing a straight and easy route instead of the old winding mountain path. The expressway has a 6- to 12-lane section, with the section from Akshardham in Delhi to Loni being a 12-lane stretch. Its design speed is 100 kilometers per hour.
This expressway will begin at the Akshardham Temple and reach Dehradun via cities like Baghpat, Baraut, Shamli, and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh. It also includes a 50.7-kilometer-long Haridwar spur, which will reduce the distance from Delhi to Haridwar in approximately two hours. Another spur connecting Ambala has also been constructed. Prime Minister Modi has a deep connection with Uttarakhand. His first visit was to Rishikesh in 2015. Since then, he has made five visits to the Kedarnath Temple and also visited religious sites like Badrinath, Mukhba, and Adi Kailash.