New Delhi: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, on Wednesday stated that the country’s longest expressway, the 1,386 km Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, is now expected to be completed by 2027-28, marking a three-year delay from the original 2024 deadline.

In a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha during the ongoing winter session of Parliament, Gadkari said, “Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is likely for completion by 2027-28.”

Biggest bottleneck in the project

The expressway passes through six states: Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. While several stretches across the country are operational and a few more are nearing completion, work on three small packages in Gujarat, totaling 87 km on the Vadodara-Virar section, has significantly lagged, affecting the overall project timeline.

These three packages are:

• Package 8: Gandeva to Jujuwa

• Package 9: Jujuwa to Karvad

• Package 10: Karvad to Talasari Interchange (near the Maharashtra border)

The construction of these packages was first awarded in 2021 to Pune-based Roadway Solutions India Infra Ltd (RSIIL). However, due to repeated delays, two of the packages were scrapped in March 2023, only to be re-awarded to the same contractor in November 2023 after it emerged as the lowest bidder in the tender process.

Despite this, less than 20% of the work on the project has been completed. Recent visuals from vloggers and YouTubers show that some sections, especially Package 8, have not even started earthwork.

NHAI officials have blamed the slow progress on non-performance and contractual disputes, while the contractor cited delays in land provision by NHAI.

The authority is now considering issuing notices to the contractor, including options such as termination or blacklisting, if work does not pick up soon.

Sections operational or expected in early 2026

Once fully completed, the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is expected to reduce the distance between Delhi and Mumbai’s Jawaharlal Nehru Port by 180 km and cut travel time by nearly 50%. Of the total Rs 1.04 lakh crore project cost, Rs 71,718 crore has already been spent. Some sections, including Delhi-Lalsot and certain stretches in Gujarat and Rajasthan, are already operational.

The Delhi–Vadodara stretch, covering 31 packages, has achieved significant progress. Out of these, 27 packages are already operational across Haryana, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh. Packages 10 and 15 in Rajasthan, and Packages 26-31 in Gujarat, connecting the Madhya Pradesh border with NE-1, are nearing completion and may become operational in early 2026.

On the Vadodara-Virar stretch, the Vadodara-Bharuch section (Packages 1-3) is operational, and Package 6 (Kim to Ena) is also open for traffic. The remaining packages are nearing completion and will be operational soon.

However, the three packages in the Vadodara-Virar section (Packages 8, 9, and 10) are not expected to open in the near future.

Additionally, the expressway is still incomplete in Maharashtra and is unlikely to open soon due to the broken Gujarat link.

Many projects delayed nationwide

Gadkari also highlighted that across India, out of 1,208 national highway projects under construction, 649 are facing delays due to litigation and land acquisition issues. This underscores the challenges in completing large-scale infrastructure projects on time. DeshGujarat