The Sohna to Dausa wing of the under-construction Delhi to Mumbai Expressway (DME) that was inaugurated recently is speculated to cut the travel time between the two cities by over two hours. By the time the same opens in Jaipur, it will also cut travel time from Delhi to Jaipur substantially.
Mudit Garg, Project Director, NHAI, PIU-Sohna, in a conversation with the Mobility Outlook team, explained what makes the DME special. “It is one of the finest projects in India, and there will be more expressways built on the standards this expressway will set on completion,” he said.
Emphasis On Safety
Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Government of India, has often spoken about the importance of making Indian roads safer, and the DME, as per Garg, is one of the safest ones in the country.
NHAI, in a bid to make the DME safer, is implementing an advanced traffic management system (ATMS) to ensure the safe and smooth movement of traffic. The plan is to deploy as many cameras as possible on the DME to track the movement of vehicles. The data will be used to manage traffic 24x7.
Helipads built on the DME will be used to airlift people in case of emergencies. Moreover, trauma centres are also being set up at regular intervals of the DME for quick response. Additionally, there are areas dedicated to building motels, dhabas, and more such amenities for private and commercial vehicle drivers. Garg informed that two-wheelers will not be allowed on the expressway.
Eight To 12 Lanes
Currently operational with eight lanes, the NHAI team has left enough room to make the Sohna-Dosa stretch of the DME 12 lanes when the traffic increases in the future. Similarly, the complete DME can be transformed into a 12-lane expressway when the traffic demands. Circular-shaped colliders have been set up at various places. As per Garg, these colliders are built to absorb the maximum impact, leaving the vehicle and its occupants safe.
What's also interesting about the DME is its connection to the locals. Garg explained that people willing to invest in the DME could do so by connecting with the authorities assigned to setting up rest areas. There are opportunities for setting up fuel-filling stations, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, restaurants, and more.
“We have created the DME in such a way that there will be no additional requirement of setting up alternate fuel stations in the future as we have already left room for accommodating the same,” he added.
Watch The Conversation With Mudit Garg Here
Special Emphasis On Road Safety At Delhi-Mumbai Expressway: NHAI