Delhi–Dehradun corridor opens

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Delhi–Dehradun Economic Corridor on April 14, opening a new high-speed road link between the capital and Uttarakhand. (pmindia.gov.in) The corridor is 213 kilometers long, six lanes wide and access-controlled, with travel time between Delhi and Dehradun cut from more than six hours to about 2.5 hours. Officials put the project cost at about ₹12,000 crore, with one detailed estimate at ₹11,868.6 crore. (thehindu.com) (hindustantimes.com) The route runs through Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and includes 10 interchanges, railway overbridges, major bridges and 12 wayside amenities. It is also fitted with an Advanced Traffic Management System, which officials said is meant to manage traffic and improve safety on the corridor. (thehindu.com) The road is designed to pull long-distance traffic off older highways and local roads while speeding access to Haridwar, Rishikesh, Mussoorie and the Char Dham pilgrimage circuit. Reports on the opening said officials also expect gains for trade and tourism across western Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) (pmindia.gov.in) Government statements tied the project to industrial districts such as Baghpat, Shamli and Saharanpur, and to faster movement of farm produce and manufactured goods. The Times of India said officials expect the new route to redirect heavy traffic away from parts of North-East Delhi and reshape traffic patterns across the National Capital Region. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) A central selling point is the wildlife design on the forested stretch near Rajaji National Park. The project includes a 12-kilometer elevated wildlife corridor, eight animal passes, two elephant underpasses measuring 200 meters each, and a 370-meter tunnel near Maa Daat Kali Temple. (thehindu.com) (hindustantimes.com) Days before the opening, the Press Information Bureau published a joint National Highways Authority of India and Wildlife Institute of India study on the Ganeshpur–Asharodi section. The study said camera traps and acoustic recorders logged 40,444 images of 18 wild species using the underpasses, including 60 elephant crossings. (pib.gov.in) The expressway was launched in February 2021 and built in four phases, with a 32-kilometer first stretch opening to the public in December 2025 before the full corridor entered service this week. On April 14, Modi inspected the wildlife section in Saharanpur before the formal inauguration in Dehradun. (hindustantimes.com) (thehindu.com) For travelers, the immediate change is simple: a drive that usually took most of a day on congested roads now shifts to a controlled-access corridor built to make Delhi and Dehradun a same-morning trip. (thehindu.com)