The great civilisations of history came up and flourished around large rivers. Expressways are the rivers of the modern world providing connectivity and enabling growth and development. India has a few remarkable expressways but essentially they form just 2% of the country’s roadways and transport 40% of the traffic. Let’s look at why India needs more and better expressways and some upcoming ones.

Benefits of Express Ways

The cities and towns near an expressway experience tremendous growth and development. The Mumbai-Pune Expressway is a prime example of this phenomenon. Connecting two of the biggest cities in Maharashtra it has reduced travel time, improved connectivity, and enhanced supplementary infrastructure such as the connecting road network. It has also boosted the growth of several residential and commercial micro markets near the expressway such as Hinjawadi, Navi Mumbai, Talegaon, and more.

Here are some of the main advantages of expressways:

They improve connectivity and hence boost economic growth and regional development.
Expressways’ multiple lanes carry long-distance traffic thus reducing congestion on regular roads.
Well-connected expressways promote tourism and enable tourists to travel easily to various tourist spots, thereby also boosting the tourism sector.
They promote the development of supplementary infrastructure such as bridges, tunnels, and interchanges.
By enhancing the movement of people, goods, and services, expressways contribute to the country’s overall economic growth and development.

Upcoming Expressways in India

Delhi-Mumbai Expressway: Once completed, this will be the longest expressway in India, covering a length of 1386 km between the political and financial capitals of the country and reduce travel time to 12.5 hours. The 8-lane Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is one-of-its-kind, connecting 8 multi-modal logistics parks, two greenfield airports (Navi Mumbai and Jewar) and the JNPT port.

Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway: Also called Samruddhi Mahamarg, it will connect 10 districts and 390 villages and cities such as Nagpur, Aurangabad, Nashik, Shirdi and Wardha across 701 km. Once completed it is expected to reduce travel time to around 8 hours. It includes 6 tunnels, 5 flyovers, 33 bridges, 8 rail-over-bridges, and 189 underpasses.

Ganga Expressway: This 6-lane project will connect NH 334 in Meerut to NH 2 Prayagraj Bypass across 594 km and reduce travel time to just 6 hours. Expected to be completed by 2024, the Ganga Expressway will connect cities like Meerut, Sambhal, Tilhar, Raebareli and Siyana. It will also be linked to the Agra and Yamuna Expressways.

Bangalore-Chennai Expressway: This much-anticipated 4-lane expressway will connect two major IT hubs of South India across 260 km. It will provide connectivity across Hoskote in Karnataka, Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh and Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu.

Raipur-Vishakhapatnam Expressway: Running through Central-East India across 464 km, this 6-lane expressway will connect the states of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Expected to be completed in 2025 it will reduce travel time from 14 to 7 hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who oversees highways development in India?

Ans: NHAI or National Highways Authority of India coordinates between various stakeholders.

Importance of Expressways in Real Estates in India

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