Last month, delays were reported in five project packages spanning 140 km between Surat and the Gujarat-Maharashtra border, further impacting the project’s overall timeline. The ministry attributed earlier delays to slow progress by contractors, land acquisition hurdles, and force majeure events. However, it assured that all necessary steps are being taken to complete the remaining stretch on time. The final project cost will be known only after completion of the pending work.

Once finished, the 1,386-km Delhi-Mumbai Expressway will be India’s longest expressway. Even in its current partially operational state, it has already surpassed all existing expressways in the country in terms of length. The expressway will link key regions across Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra with Delhi. With an estimated cost of Rs 1 lakh crore, the eight-lane access-controlled highway is designed for a top speed of 120 km/hr and can be expanded to 12 lanes in the future. The new expressway is expected to significantly cut travel time between Delhi and Mumbai from nearly 24 hours to just 12, offering a faster alternative to the current NH-48 route, which is 1,440 km long and heavily congested.