On December 31, the prime minister, Narendra Modi, unveiled a plaque to mark the laying of the foundation stone of the of 74km-long Delhi-Dasna-Meerut 14 lane Expressway and upgradation of the 22km-long Dasna-Hapur section of NH-24, at Sector-62 in Noida.

Speaking on the occasion, he said that in order to fulfill people’s aspirations for development, we need to ensure a rapid growth of infrastructure. He said the Delhi-Meerut Expressway will spur development in western Uttar Pradesh and prove to be a highway of development for the state. He also said that the expressway would go a long way in cutting down pollution in Delhi. 

Also speaking on the occasion, the minister of Road Transport & Highway and Shipping, Nitin Gadkari said that the expressway will give a big thrust to development in western Uttar Pradesh and will make travel to cities like Dehradun, Muradabad and Bareilley much faster. The Minister said that four laning of Muzaffarnagar-Haridwar and Haridwar-Dehradun roads will also be completed by December 2016. Gadkari said that work is already being done on 89 National Highway projects worth Rs 45,000 crore in Uttar Pradesh. Additional projects worth Rs 55,000 crore are likely to be taken up by the end of 2016 

The above project will cost Rs 7,566 crore and will include the following three components: 

• DME Phase-I - Construction of 28km long 14-lane Delhi-Dasna section of Delhi-Meerut Expressway, costing Rs 2,869 crore 

• DME Phase II – Construction of 46km long, 6-lane Dasna-Meerut section of Delhi-Meerut Expressway, costing Rs 3,575 crore 

• 6- laning of 22km long Dasna-Hapur section of NH -24 costing Rs 1,122 crore. 

This expressway is the first project under the new Hybrid Annuity model. It will be developed as a smart expressway. Systems will be put in place to give vital information on weather, traffic and accidents to commuters. Basic amenities like health care, petrol pump, restaurants, vehicle repair and restrooms will be available.

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