November 28, 2025: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari conducted a review of Package 6 and Package 7 of the Greenfield Vadodara–Mumbai (Virar) Expressway, a crucial component of the 1,350-km Delhi–Mumbai Expressway (DME). Senior officials from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) accompanied him during the inspection.
Gadkari assessed the on-ground progress of both packages and instructed project teams to maintain strict quality parameters, prioritise timely delivery, and ensure comprehensive safety protocols across all construction zones. He reiterated that the Vadodara–Mumbai stretch is central to improving regional connectivity, reducing travel time, and strengthening links to industrial clusters and PM Gati Shakti nodes across Gujarat and Maharashtra.
The almost 379-km Vadodara–Mumbai segment is expected to be completed by the end of next year. Once operational, it will significantly enhance freight movement and ease long-distance travel within the western industrial corridor.
The Delhi–Mumbai Expressway, India’s longest greenfield, access-controlled expressway currently under construction, aims to cut travel time between Delhi and Mumbai from nearly 24 hours to around 12 hours. Spanning 1,350 km, the corridor traverses Delhi (12 km), Haryana (129 km), Rajasthan (373 km), Madhya Pradesh (244 km), Gujarat (426 km), and Maharashtra (171 km).
Of the total length, 1,198 km covers the main stretch from Sohna to Virar. Two additional extensions — the 59-km DND–Faridabad–KMP link and the 92-km Virar–JNPT link — take the project length to 1,350 km. The expressway network also includes two greenfield spurs: the 32-km six-lane Faridabad–Jewar Expressway and the 67-km four-lane Bandikui–Jaipur Expressway, expanding the overall reach to 1,450 km.
The minister’s directive aims to accelerate the pace of construction and ensure the strategic corridor is delivered within its revised timeline.
Source: Swarajya
