The residents of Delhi always have to think twice before visiting Kashmir, largely because of the traffic or weather issues, However, this problem will soon go away with the new expressway that is being built from Delhi to Katra via Amritsar.
The 620 km long Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway will connect Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, and Jammu & Kashmir. Further, it will be connected to NH-44 to provide seamless connectivity till Srinagar. In August 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway.
All about the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway
There is always heavy traffic on the roads connecting Delhi-NCR. For centuries the Grand Trunk Road has been the given route to Kashmir. There is heavy traffic pressure on it which is why the NDA government decided under the Bharatmala project that 10 expressways would be built.
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One of these expressways will connect Delhi with Kashmir. The expressway being constructed between Delhi to Katra will also be connected to Dera Baba Nanak and Kartarpur Corridor. About 14,000 acres of land in Punjab and 5,000 acres in Haryana have been acquired for this project.
How long will it take to reach Chandigarh, Amritsar, and Katra by the expressway?
With the construction of the new expressway, the distance between Delhi and Katra will be reduced from 727 km to 588 km. It will take just 6 hours to reach Katra from Delhi instead of 14. The distance from Delhi to Amritsar will also be 405 km. It will take only 4 hours to reach Amritsar by expressway. Delhi to Chandigarh will just be a 2 hours journey.
Where will the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway pass through?
The Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway starts from the Kundli Manesar Palwal (KMP) Expressway near Nilothi village in the Jhajjar district. It will connect Jind, Sangrur, Malerkotla, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Gurdaspur to Delhi. The Greenfield Expressway will split into two near Nakodar. One part will go towards Amritsar and the other will go directly to Katra. One will not have to go to Kathua and Jammu to go to Katra.
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How easy it will be to travel from Delhi to Srinagar by road?
Union Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has said that the work is underway on the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway. The work on Srinagar-Jammu National Highway (NH 44) will be completed by 2024. Then, it will be possible to reach Srinagar from Delhi in just 8 hours.
Nitin Gadkari claims that the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway will be ready by next year. It will cost around Rs 35,000 crore.
