Himalaya Harbinger Rudrapur Bureau
Reaching Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport from Noida will now become much easier following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s inauguration of two major road projects: the Urban Extension Road-II (UER-II) and the Delhi section of the Dwarka Expressway on Sunday.
Together, these new stretches are expected to reduce travel time from Noida to IGI Airport to just 20 minutes, according to India Today. They will provide commuters from western Delhi and NCR suburbs a smoother journey and ease congestion on the city’s busy Ring Road.
Once completed, the projects will also help reduce traffic on inner roads, easing pressure on NH-48, NH-44, Ring Roads, and the Barapullah elevated corridor. The estimated construction cost of UER-II is ₹3,300 crore.
Modi will inaugurate four of the five packages of UER-II, along with phases three and four of the Dwarka Expressway around 12.30pm on Sunday, news agency ANI reported. The ceremony will take place in Rohini, and the Prime Minister is expected to inspect both projects.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate packages three and four of Dwarka Expressway and four packages of Urban Extension Road-II connecting Mahipalpur near IGI airport with Alipur in North Delhi, linking it with NH-44. These two roads will significantly reduce congestion in and around Delhi and NCR,” a senior NHAI official said.
More details on the new packages
UER-II: The 75.71 km UER-II road has been developed in five packages at a cost of ₹6,445 crore, with 54.21 km in Delhi and 21.50 km in Haryana. Once operational, it will enable residents of Gurugram, west, and south Delhi to reach NH-44, Chandigarh, Punjab, and Jammu & Kashmir faster, bypassing congestion at Dhaula Kuan and Delhi’s ring roads.
Dwarka Expressway details: Packages 3 and 4 of the Dwarka Expressway, 10.1 km in Delhi, include a 5.1 km tunnel connecting the road to IGI Airport, improving access to Gurugram. Packages 1 and 2, covering the Haryana section (29 km between Mahipalpur and Kherki Daula on NH-48), were inaugurated by the Prime Minister in March 2024.
Future connectivity: Connecting UER-II to the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, starting near Akshardham temple, will provide faster routes for traffic from Haryana and Rajasthan heading towards Dehradun. Another 65 km highway from Tronica City to the under-construction FNG Expressway has been approved. This highway will link five major expressways in the NCR: Delhi-Dehradun, Delhi-Meerut, Noida-Greater Noida, DND-Faridabad, and Yamuna Expressways.
Inauguration and preparations: The Dwarka Expressway tunnel has been cleaned and refurbished ahead of the inauguration. The Prime Minister is expected to inspect both projects, starting with the Dwarka Expressway and then proceeding via UER-II road towards Rohini.
Sustainable construction efforts: Approximately 10 lakh metric tons of inert material recovered through biomining of legacy landfill waste in Delhi has been used in constructing UER-II, promoting sustainable infrastructure practices
