Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced on Sunday that the Vadodara-Mumbai portion of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway should open by August 31, cutting journey time between the two cities from roughly eight hours to about four hours. The project will boost links between Delhi and Mumbai and connect major industrial centres. The full 1,400-kilometre, eight-lane controlled-access expressway is being built by the central government at a cost of around one lakh crore rupees. It crosses Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra. The Maharashtra segment covers about 157 kilometres and costs nearly 24,000 crore rupees. It is split into seven packages, five of which are finished and open to traffic. The final two packages are due for completion by August 2026. The route is expected to provide quicker, safer and less congested travel while improving goods transport. During a site visit, Fadnavis reviewed progress and instructed officials to meet the deadline without lowering standards. He highlighted direct access to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority, which should speed up cargo movement from northern India and ease congestion on routes through Thane, Bhiwandi and Ghodbunder. Better links between industrial zones and Mumbai ports are projected to support exports, attract investment and create jobs.
