India highway link opens to traffic

A new stretch of highway is now opening to traffic in India. The 80km stretch of highway runs between Kundli and through Manesar to Palwal. Called the KMP Expressway, the route has had something of a checkered history and has been completed somewhat later than originally intended. The concession was originally awarded in 2006 and the road should have been completed in 2009, according to the planned timeline. The deal allowed the concession holder to collect tolls on the route for 20 years and nine months once the route opened to traffic. But as construction work on the route fell far behind schedule, this concession arrangement was cancelled in the second quarter of 2015 and the contract was then taken over by another firm. With the change in the construction deal the section of highway was also redesigned and has been built with three lanes in either direction instead of two lanes in either direction as originally conceived.