India boasts an extensive network of expressways, with a total length of 5,930 km, and an additional stretch of over 11,000 km in the planning stages. These developments aim to greatly improve the experience of traveling long distances by road. Among the network, twelve National Expressways stand out, including the record-breaking Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, and a total of 32 State Expressways are either operational or in progress. Uttar Pradesh leads with six operational expressways, with plans for seven more, setting a new state record for the highest number of expressways with a total of 13.
Expressways are essentially upgraded versions of traditional highways, providing managed access points at their entrances to prevent accidents and unnecessary delays for high-speed vehicles.
This article will provide readers with insights into the top 10 expressways in India, highlighting their significance and quality.
Delhi Mumbai Expressway
The Delhi Mumbai Expressway, spanning 577 kilometers out of a total 1,450 kilometers, stands as a major achievement in India’s road network, designed to cut travel time from 24 hours to just 12 hours between Delhi and Mumbai, the country’s political and financial heart. This expressway’s cornerstone was officially laid by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari in 2019, with the ambition to improve the road link between the two most significant cities, Delhi, for its role as the political and administrative hub, and Mumbai, known for its financial importance.
The advanced Delhi Mumbai Expressway is on the cusp of being fully operational, just a few months away from the completion of its remaining sections under construction. This expressway holds the record for being the longest in India, providing a range of essential facilities along its path to enhance the journey experience, including rest areas, restrooms, restaurants, and stores.
Covering the vast distance of 1,450 kilometers, the expressway will thread through Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra states. It is set to be an eight-lane, controlled-access expressway, with the potential for expansion up to 12 lanes in the future.
Purvanchal Expressway
Purvanchal Expressway starts from the Gosaiganj near Lucknow and ends near Muhammadabad in Ghazipur, terminating its road infrastructure magnificence of 340 km. In Gosaiganj, this expressway quits into NH731 and in Ghazipur, the journey on the Purvanchal Expressway ends on NH31. It is an entirely functioning and one of the Expressways in India furnishing speedy and secure vehicular movement to the capital city Lucknow of India’s most populated state from its low-key districts such as Sultanpur, Azamgarh, Ghazipur, Mau and Balia.
The construction of the Purvanchal Expressway was initiated in 2018 and was concluded in November 2021. It is the longest expressway in Uttar Pradesh that is active. The six-lane access-controlled motorway can be extended to 8 lanes in future and is materialised and preserved by the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA). Its foundation stone was laid down in 2015 state’s former CM Mr Akhilesh Yadav, and, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi upon its culmination in 2021.
Yamuna Expressway
The Yamuna Expressway, launched in 2012 by UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, significantly cut travel time from Greater Noida to Agra by 65%, linking various districts in Western Uttar Pradesh to Delhi and the National Capital Region. Operated by YEIDA, this expressway stretches 165.567 km, worth more than Rs 22,000 crores, and sees over 100,000 vehicles daily, reducing congestion on NH2 or Mathura Road.
Looking ahead, the six-lane Yamuna Expressway could potentially be widened to eight lanes, enhancing connectivity between cities like Noida, Jewar, Vrindavan, Hathras, Mathura, and Agra.
In India, the Yamuna Expressway ranks sixth in terms of length among expressways, boasting 31 service roads for safe and secure access to key locations along its route.
In 2015, a Dassault Mirage 2000 made an emergency landing on the Yamuna Expressway to test its suitability for fighter jets to land on highways.
Delhi Meerut Expressway
Delhi Meerut Expressway is one of the most busiest and is officially the Expressway in India having 14 lanes stretching up to Dasna. The need for the Delhi Meerut Expressway was first mentioned in 1999 in the parliament and was proposed officially in 2005. Delhi Meerut expressway in India was completed in 2021 with the inauguration of the Dasna to Meerut Package and it was built by the central government.
The total estimated cost of building this 96km road infrastructure project was between Rs 8,000 to 10,000 crores, divided into four packages.
Mumbai Pune Expressway
The Mumbai-Pune expressway handles more than 50,000 vehicles daily and stands out among other expressways in India for its high usage. Constructed back in 2001, it spans a whopping 94 km and enhances the journey with its beautiful vistas between the two key cities of Maharashtra, Mumbai & Pune.
Pune is a cultural hub of Maharashtra, while Mumbai has earned the title of India’s financial capital. Therefore, the expressway’s route, allowing vehicles to travel at up to 100 kmph between these two leading economic centers in Maharashtra state, not only supports but also emphasizes the importance of both cities.
It’s safe to say that the Mumbai-Pune expressway is among the most picturesque expressways in India, passing through hills and passing by cities like Panvel, Khandala, Lonavala, Talegaon, and more. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is responsible for the upkeep of this route.
Eastern Peripheral Expressway
Eastern Peripheral Expressway is built to ease the traffic on the Ghaziabad-Faridabad stretch and reduce the entry of over 50,000 trucks reducing the heavy vehicular pollution significantly in the national capital. In length, the Eastern Peripheral or KGP (Kundli-Ghaziabad-Palwal) expressway is 135 kilometres and is connected to the Western Peripheral Expressway on both sides, forming a ring road around the Delhi Metro City to ease the congestion by vehicles that are meant to skip the Delhi City and other major hotspots such as Gurgaon, Noida and Faridabad.
The EPE road infrastructure project’s foundation was laid down by the prime minister of India Narendra Modi in 2015 and was estimated to be built at around 11,000 crores in Indian Rupees. In 2018, the 135 km expressway in India was inaugurated and it is lashed with several state-of-the-art security and safety features such as electronic & closed tolling systems, weigh-in-motion sensors, cameras to check vehicles’ speed, 4,000 kilowatts solar capacity plants, lakhs of trees plantation etc.
Western Peripheral Expressway
The WPE Expressway stands as one of the premier expressways in India, boasting six lanes and stretching over 136 kilometers in length. It is among the most highly anticipated infrastructure projects recently celebrated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi upon its inauguration. This western spur expressway, also referred to as the KMP (Kundli-Manesar-Palwal) expressway, links Kundli in Sonipat to Palwal. It traverses through Sonipat, Jhajjar, Manesar, Sohna, and Palwal.
Additionally, there are plans to incorporate a Delhi Metro line in this corridor, as part of the DMRC phase V.
The entire expressway became accessible to the public in 2018, following the completion of its remaining segments in the same year. This access-controlled peripheral expressway ranks among the top 10 in India and is a crucial component of the Delhi Rig Road initiative. This project is designed to alleviate traffic congestion in Delhi and its neighboring areas by diverting excessive vehicles, which contribute significantly to carbon emissions in the Delhi NCR area.
Ahmedabad Vadodara Expressway
Ahmedabad Vadodara Expressway is a 94 km long road infrastructure, also known as Mahatma Gandhi Road, and connects the two biggest cities in the Gujarat state, Ahmedabad and Vadodara, helping business activities. This expressway was opened for public use in 2002 and is an access-controlled expressway. Although the expressway has only 2 lanes on each of the sides, the construction work to extend it to 6 lanes has been going on for several years.
It is maintained by NHAI and was built at an estimated cost of 475 crores in 2002. Two-wheeler entry is banned on this expressway to prevent unwarranted road accidents. Among the top fastest expressways in India, the Ahmedabad Vadodara Expressway goes through Nadiad and Anand cities along the route.
Bundelkhand Expressway
The Bundelkhand Expressway, spanning 296 kilometers and under access control, was opened in 2022 by the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. The project, which began in 2017, serves several districts by providing improved and quicker transportation links for the north-to-south areas of the state with the highest population in India.
Direct connections to the expressway now include Etawah, Jalaun, Hamiprur, Mahoba, Banda, and Chitrakoot. The completion of what has become one of India’s longest expressways was celebrated widely, earning attention in numerous media outlets for a variety of reasons.
The Uttar Pradesh Expressways Development Authority (UPEIDA) is tasked with the upkeep of the Bundelkhand Expressway, with the project costing over Rs 14,000 crores, making it a highly expensive and modern road infrastructure.
Mumbai Nagpur Expressway ~ 436 mi
Mumbai Nagpur Expressway is an under-construction project in Maharashtra state and is to be maintained by MDRDC. This 6-lane expressway can be expanded to 8 lanes in future and is access-controlled for safe and secure vehicle movements. It in total covers 10 districts of Maharashtra: Nagpur, Wardha, Amravati, Washim, Budhana, Jalna, Chattrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Ahmednagar, Nashik and Thane.
This is one of the top 10 expressways in India and also one of the longest as well, having a length of 701 km in total, offering high-speed driving experience on its access-controlled 6-lane roads.
The aforementioned districts that the Mumbai Nagpur Expressway, officially known as Hindu Hridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Sammrusddhi Road, covers will benefit from the elevation of business activities.
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