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Delhi-Mumbai E-way: A milestone in one of the most ambitious projects

2023-03-28

India is making strides towards modernised and efficient infrastructure, as the nation celebrates the opening of the first section of its ambitious expressway linking New Delhi to Mumbai. At 1,386 km in length, this eight-lane carriageway is set to become India's longest and will significantly reduce travel time between the two major cities, making the entire journey only 12 hours. The historic moment was marked with the inauguration of the 246-km stretch of the expressway, connecting Delhi to Lalsot in the state of Rajasthan.

Covering multiple states and even more cities, the inauguration of this stretch marks a new milestone. Mudit Garg, Project Director, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), reveals, “This is the first highway passing through the states of Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra and covering major cities such as Gurugram, Jaipur, Kota, Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Ujjain, Indore, Vadodara, Surat, Ahmedabad and Mumbai.” It further connects to key infrastructure such as the Jawaharlal Nehru Port.

The construction of a 246-km highway is no mean feat. The road was designed using the prefecture pavement design with a lifecycle of 50 years. “The bituminous layer is 300-mm thick and the layer is so smooth that the quality rivals a concrete road,” adds Garg.

To further enhance the quality of the road, distilled dense bituminous macadam (DBM) was used in the bituminous layer along with mastic asphalt. The mastic asphalt plays a key role in ensuring that the bearing surface maintains its smoothness and allows commuters an easy ride.