India’s biggest highway project delayed, deadline revised to…

The Delhi–Mumbai Expressway project faces fresh delays as key Gujarat stretches slow progress, pushing the final completion deadline to FY 2027–28, impacting seamless connectivity between India’s two major metros.

The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet infrastructure project has been delayed again, according to Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari who recently stated before Parliament that it is now expected to be completed in FY2027-28 rather than March 2024 as originally planned.

Spread across six states and measuring 1,386 km in length, the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway aims to cut down travel time between India’s capital city and its financial centre to 12 hours once operational. While large parts of the expressway are either near completion or already opened, bottlenecks at small stretches in Gujarat have repeatedly pushed back deadlines.

Delay Due to Small Packages in Gujarat: Official

When asked in Parliament why the project had missed several deadlines, Gadkari replied that out of the total length, three packages totalling up to 87 km were behind schedule.

“These packages were classified as Jujuwa–Gandeva, Karvad-Jujuwa and Talsari-Karvad,” Gadkari said in a written reply. “These small packages located in Gujarat’s Vadodara-Virar section have been affected by persistent delays. They were awarded to the same concessionaire even after re-tendering of contracts due to delays in completion.”

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The concessionaire who bagged contracts to build these stretches have completed less than 20% work till date, even after four years of being awarded the contract.

NHAI Officials Fear Smooth Connectivity Delayed

NHAI officials told BloombergQuint that the delays in these stretches could disrupt the connectivity expected once the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is completed.

“I hope we can complete these remaining packages and open this project latest by March 2027,” Gadkari told Parliament on Tuesday.

When Will Delhi Mumbai Expressway Be Completed?

“I hope and expect that work on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway project will be completed by March 2027,” Gadkari said in another reply to Parliament.

PM Modi initially aimed to complete the project by 2024 but later advanced it to October 2025. However, according to Gadkari’s statement in Parliament on Tuesday, it may now take at least another two years. Other parts of the corridor – stretching across Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have been working according to schedule with several sections already opened or nearing completion.

Important Why

The expressway, once completed, is expected to reduce freight costs and improve trade by improving connectivity between Delhi and Mumbai. Reduce travel time by half. The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway will pass through six states and improve connectivity to ports, airports and industrial areas.