Transport secretary Anurag Jain on Friday said the Delhi-Surat stretch of the 1,400-kilometre Delhi-Mumbai expressway will be operational by March this year, while the entire stretch till Mumbai barring the JNPT connectivity will be complete by December this year. Jain says JNPT connectivity will be complete by March next year.

"Delhi-Surat connectivity will be provided by March this year sans one tunnel around which the traffic will be routed. The entire stretch till Mumbai will be connected by December this year. We will connect JNPT by march next year," Jain says.

It may be noted that 246-km Delhi-Dausa-Lalsot section of the Expressway was inaugurated by prime minister Marendra Modi in February last year. Delhi-Mumbai expressway is the country's longest expressway being built at a cost of ₹1,05,000 crore. It has got four sections. The expressway is expected to halve the travel time to Mumbai to 12 hours from the current 24 hours.

Jain also said the government is working on a vision to have a network of 50,000 km of access-controlled highways by 2047. "Currently we have a network of 4,000 km of access-controlled highways. With projects in hand, we will reach at 10,000 km of such highways. Till 2047, we have to compete with the infrastructure of the developed countries," Jain says.

"Till 2047, we will have a network of 50,000 km of access-controlled highways. This is our vision. The entire country will have a network as road users in any part of the country will have one or other access controlled highway connectivity," Jain adds.

"Another key part of the vision is that any NH should not be less than two-lane paved shoulder except in the mountain regions. We have launched maintenance system as we have an ambitious target of zero complaint. We have introduced short term maintenance contracts for the roads which do not come under any concessionaire agreement and 95 percent contract have been given," Jain adds.

Lalsot

Delhi-Surat on Delhi-Mumbai expressway to be ready by March: Transport secy