Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari recently inspected the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Greenfield Expressway (DAK) and the Amritsar Bypass. For those unaware, Punjab is developing five greenfield and economic corridors, with an investment of Rs 29,000 crore.
Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Greenfield Expressway: Reduced travel time and length
The 669-km Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Greenfield Expressway is considered to be a significant project, with an estimated cost of Rs 40,000 crore. Once completed, this expressway will reduce travel time from Delhi to Amritsar to just 4 hours and from Delhi to Katra to 6 hours. Presently, the distance between Delhi and Katra stands at 727 km, but once the expressway opens, this distance will be reduced by 58 km.
Starting from KMP in Delhi, this expressway spans 137 km through Haryana. In Punjab, it extends for 399 km and in Jammu and Kashmir, the expressway covers a distance of 135 km, with ongoing construction efforts covering 120 km.
As it traverses Punjab, the expressway intersects vital industrial regions, including Patiala, Sangrur, Malerkotla, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, and Gurudaspur.
Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Greenfield Expressway: Key Features
One of the standout features of this corridor is the construction of Asia’s longest cable-stayed bridge, spanning 1300 meters over the Beas River.
This expressway will connect several significant religious sites for the Sikh community, such as the Golden Temple, Sultanpur Lodhi Gurdwara in Kapurthala district, Goindwal Sahib Gurdwara, Khandur Sahib Gurdwara, Gurdwara Darbar Sahib (Taran Taran), and Mata Darbar Vaishno Devi in Katra.
In addition, there is construction work going on a four-lane Amritsar Bypass project which stretches upto 50 km and costs Rs 1475 crore. This bypass will significantly improve connectivity from Tarn Taran to Amritsar Airport and help alleviate traffic issues in Amritsar.
