‘Ring road will be opened in 2-3 months’: Gadkari gives update on Urban Extension Road 2 

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday gave an update on the Urban Extension Road-II (UER-II) aimed at making the travel towards Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport easier. Gadkari said while interacting with the Indian diaspora in Prague that UER-II will be opened in 2-3 months.

He added that after this road opens, one can reach the airport within 20 minutes. The Union Minister added that normally it will take two hours if you come to Delhi and then go to airport. Gadkari is on an official tour to the Czech Republic to participate in the Ministerial session on Road Safety at the 27th World Road Congress in Prague.

"Urban Extension Road -II, a ring road will be opened in 2-3 months, normally, if you (people) come to Delhi and then go to the airport it will take 2 hours but after this road opens, you can reach the airport in 20 minutes...," Gadkari was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Built at a cost of around Rs 7,716 crore, the UER II is a 75 km long, 6 lanes (main expressway) and 4 lanes (service roads) wide-access controlled expressway. The road has been developed in five packages and package 1-3 have been dubbed as NH-344M. The NH-344M will reduce travel time from 2 hours to 20 minutes to the IGI Airport.

It will also offer an alternative traffic route from West/South Delhi and Gurugram heading towards NH-44, Chandigarh, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. Package 4 or the NH-344P will begin at NH-344M and end at NH-352A (Barwasini bypass).

This will serve as a spur to the Sonipat bypass and alleviate traffic on NH-44. NH-344P will also establish connectivity between Delhi, KMPE, and Delhi-Katra Expressway via KMPE. Package 5 or NH-344N is a spur to the Bahadurgarh bypass, connecting NH-344M near village Dhichaon Kalan to NH-10 near Bahadurgarh. It also improves connectivity between eastern Haryana and Kanjhawala in Delhi and acts as a shorter connection between Delhi and KMP Expressway.

During his address, the minister also highlighted other infrastructure projects completed under the Modi government, including Atal Tunnel. He said that after the Atal Tunnel was constructed, commuters can now reach Rohtang Pass from Manali in just eight minutes compared to 3.5 hours previously.

“It takes 3.5 hours to reach Rohtang Pass from Manali. After we constructed an underpass tunnel, people now reach there in eight minutes. In Ladakh, Leh, we have constructed the Zojila tunnel, the longest in Asia. The estimated cost on its tender was Rs 12,000 crore and 70 per cent of the construction has been completed in Rs 5,500 crore,” Gadkari said.

Named after former Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Atal Tunnel is a highway tunnel built under the Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh. Atal Tunnel also holds the distinction of being the highest highway single-tube tunnel above 10,000 feet (3,048 m).

(With agency inputs)

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