Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Haryana section of the Dwarka Expressway on Monday among a slew of developmental projects during his visit to Gurugram. He inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 112 National Highway projects spread across the country worth about Rs. One lakh crore.
The eight-lane high-speed expressway is India's first elevated urban expressway and the first single-pillar flyover with eight lanes which would help improve traffic congestion between Delhi and Gurugram on NH-48.
Speaking at the event, Modi said, "I am glad that I got this opportunity to dedicate the Dwarka Expressway to the nation. More than Rs 9,000 crore were spent on this expressway. This will change the travel experience between Delhi and Haryana forever."
"From today, the experience of traffic between Delhi and Haryana will change forever. This modern expressway will work to shift gears not only in vehicles but also in the lives of the people of Delhi NCR," Modi remarked.
During his address, Modi recalled the time when people used to avoid taking the route after dusk.
"Even the taxi drivers used to refuse that they should not come here. This entire area was considered unsafe. But today many big companies are coming here and setting up their projects. This area is becoming one of the fastest developing areas of NCR," he said.
"Previous governments used to praise themselves for five years after inaugurating a small project. On the other hand, the way the BJP government is working, we are running short of time to lay foundation stone and inaugurate projects," he added.
"I cannot think small, nor do I dream small, nor do I make small resolutions. Whatever I want... I want it big, I want huge and I want it at a fast pace because in 2047 I want to see the country as a 'Developed India'," Modi said.
The 19-kilometer-long stretch of the Haryana section has been built at a cost of around Rs. 4,100 crores and includes two packages of 10.2 km long Delhi-Haryana Border to Basai Rail-over-Bridge (ROB) and 8.7 km long Basai ROB to Kherki Daula, said the Prime Minister's Office in a statement.
The expressway would also provide direct connectivity to the IGI Airport in Delhi and Gurugram Bypass.