When Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Delhi section of the Dwarka Expressway in August 2025, it completed what is now being called one of the most consequential urban transport corridors in the National Capital Region. Three developments, each distinct in nature, explain why the expressway has emerged as a benchmark:

The 29-kilometre stretch, built at a cost of nearly Rs 9,000 crore, connects Delhi and Gurugram is not just an infrastructure masterpiece but also has triggered a real estate transformation. Additionally,  the civic pushback against the toll rates is now beginning to shape how the corridor is governed. 

The real estate transformation

According to data shared exclusively with financialexpress.com by Knight Frank India, residential prices along the corridor remained largely range-bound between 2015 and 2021 as land acquisition issues and repeated project delays weighed on sentiment. Property values hovered between roughly Rs 5,500 and Rs 7,000 per sq ft during the period.

Knight Frank’s research shows average residential values along the corridor rose from around Rs 8,000 per sq ft in early 2022 to nearly Rs 18,000 per sq ft by year-to-date 2026, translating into a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 21%.

“The Dwarka Expressway represents one of the most significant examples of infrastructure-led value creation witnessed in the Delhi-NCR residential market over the past decade,” Ankita Sood, National Director-Research at Knight Frank India, told financialexpress.com.

According to Sood, market confidence strengthened only after visible progress in infrastructure delivery became evident. While the Gurugram side of the corridor benefited earlier from its proximity to existing employment hubs and social infrastructure, the Delhi side began catching up as land acquisition became more uniform, and the corridor became operational end-to-end.

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Knight Frank estimates the corridor currently has around 62,000 residential units. The consultancy noted that while the expressway acted as the mobility backbone for the region, improved access to IGI Airport, connectivity through the Urban Extension Road (UER), rising developer participation and Gurugram’s westward expansion also contributed to the appreciation in property values.

“The expressway is the mobility backbone, not the sole cause,” Sood said, adding that the next phase of growth would depend on commercial activity, retail development, social infrastructure and public transport integration.

The engineering case

The Dwarka Expressway was not built to a standard template. Featuring multi-level interchanges and modern traffic management systems, the project was designed to address the chronic congestion that had long plagued the Delhi-Gurugram stretch, a corridor used daily by hundreds of thousands of commuters, school buses, logistics vehicles and inter-city travellers.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has cited the expressway as a model for high-quality urban highway development. The Haryana section was inaugurated in March 2024, with the Delhi section following more than a year later, completing the full corridor.

India’s National Highway network has expanded from roughly 91,287 kilometres in 2014 to over 1,46,572 kilometres in FY 2025-26, a 61% increase, with the government recording a construction pace of nearly 34 kilometres per day in 2025, up from 11.6 kilometres per day in 2013-14.

“From an industry perspective, it is generally true that the economic gains over a longer-term period generally outweigh or at least justify the investment in large infrastructure projects. I would also say that some investments cannot be quantified, but in economics, there is something called an externality, which is the unquantifiable benefit, and some projects would also fall into this category,” Rouhan Sharma, Asia Pacific editor, Infralogic, a US-based deals platform and publication on the infrastructure sector worldwide, told financialexpress.com.

The commuter pushback

Not everyone in the corridor’s catchment area is celebrating. A residents’ body in Gurugram has approached authorities seeking toll concessions and improved pass facilities, as per an Indian Express report. 

The Dwarka Expressway Gurugram Development Association (DXPGDA) submitted a formal request on June 11 to the Indian Highways Management Company (IHMCL) and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

At present, the toll rate at the Bijwasan plaza for private cars stands at Rs 225 for a single trip and Rs 340 for a return journey. A 50-trip monthly pass is priced at Rs 7,550. Commercial cabs face steeper rates: Rs 365 for a single crossing and Rs 550 for a return trip, with a 50-trip monthly pass at Rs 12,195.

Dwarka Expressway is not alone here; when the Ganga Expressway started charging toll rates, the expressway experienced a significant reduction in traffic. 

The association has requested concessions for registered school buses and electric passenger vehicles, including e-taxis, operating within the NCR. It has also urged NHAI to introduce quarterly and annual recharge options for local commuter passes, along with a more user-friendly digital facility on the NHAI website and mobile application.