India’s US$13 billion expressway project

 Costing an estimated US$13 billion, the 1,390km Delhi-Mumbai Expressway should be ready for traffic in the third quarter of 2025. In addition, work is now underway on the Shinkun Tunnel, which will be the world’s highest once complete.   

Some stretches of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway route are already in use, with over 1,100km of the route having been completed. The new expressway will reduce the distance between the cities by around 180km and will cut journey times by an estimated 50%, from 24 hours to just 12 hours. The expressway will feature four lanes in either direction although some stretches will have more lanes as required. The expressway runs from the elevated highway on the southern side of Delhi and passes through the states of Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra. The route is being managed and maintained by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).  

Construction has now commenced for the Shinkun La Tunnel in India. At an altitude of around 4,800m, this twin tube link will be the world’s highest road tunnel when it is complete, measuring around 4.3km in length. 

The new tunnel is being built as part of the Nimu-Padum-Darcha Road and will allow transport even in poor weather as the current Shinkun Pass is often blocked to traffic.