New highway to slash travel time between Delhi and Jaipur to 2 hours

A new access control highway will be constructed between Delhi and Jaipur to reduce travel time to Jaipur and reduce load on National Highway-8, union minister for road transport, highways and shipping Nitin Gadkari said today.

''The highway will enable commuters to cover a distance of 270 km in two hours. This highway will cost Rs16,000 crore. The construction will start in January. Land acquisition will be started soon,'' said Gadkari,

The minister was in Gurgaon to lay the foundation stone for improving three junctions on NH-8. Four underpasses and as many flyovers will be constructed at IFFCO Chowk, Signature Tower Chowk and Rajiv Chowk at a cost of Rs1,005 crore.

Gadkari also advanced the deadline for the project from 30 months to 15 months.

He said cameras would be installed on NH-8 to keep watch on violators of traffic rules.

''Gurgaon is an iconic city, but it has a set of problems. The work on the Delhi-Jaipur highway was stalled, as court cases were pending. As a result, commuters faced trouble for years. On the BJP assuming power at the centre, it removed bottlenecks and resumed construction on the NH-8,'' the minister said.

''Gurgaon is our priority. The government is working hard to solve all problems. Traffic is major concern here. Besides laying roads and constructing flyovers, the government is extending the Metro network. We are looking forth to ideas such as underground parking and pod taxis,'' Gadkari added

Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar claimed the traffic situation would improve soon.

Gurgaon MP Rao Inderjit Singh demanded exemption from toll for Gurgaon residents at Kherki Daula toll plaza on the pattern of Gujarat.