Phase I to cost Rs.25,000 crore
Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari has announced the development of a new Greenfield connectivity to Amritsar City from Nakodar via Sultanpur Lodhi, Goindwal Sahib, Khadoor Sahib as part of Delhi-Amritsar Expressway.
The first phase of the expressway would involve an investment of about Rs.25,000 crore.
The road from Amritsar to Gurdaspur would also be fully developed and made completely signal free, he said on 2 June 2020.
With this, traffic would have the option to travel to Gurdaspur onwards from Nakodar, i.e. via Amritsar or via Kartarpur.
This greenfield alignment will not only provide shortest and alternate express connectivity to Amritsar city but also to other religious centres of Sultanpur Lodhi, Goindwal Sahib, Khadoor Sahib as well as the recently developed Dera Baba Nanak/Kartarpur Sahib International Corridor in Punjab.
With this expressway, travel time from Amritsar to Delhi International airport would reduce to about four hours from the present for about eight hours.
This would fulfill one of the long-standing demands of the people of Punjab.
The Ministry has taken up the development of Delhi Amritsar Katra Expressway under Bharatmala Pariyojana. The alignment of the expressway was firmed up in January 2019 and process of land acquisition was initiated.
Gadkari also requested Punjab Government to provide requisite support to NHAI to expedite Land acquisition for a proposed expressway in the State. fiinews.com
