New Delhi, Jul 31 (IANS): As much as 82 per cent of the physical work on the construction of the 1,386 km Delhi-Mumbai Expressway has been completed as a cumulative length of 1,136 km has been built as of June this year, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

The minister said that the construction of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway including spurs comprises, “53 Nos. of packages having 1386 km length total 26 Nos. of packages have been completed.”

The revised schedule for the completion date of the Expressway is October 2025, he added.

The corridor provides connectivity to major economic centres within Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

As per the detailed project report (DPR), the Expressway will reduce the distance from Delhi to Jawahar Lal Nehru Port (JNPT) in Mumbai by about 180 km and reduce travel time by up to 50 per cent to connected destinations, the minister added.

Apart from reducing travel time between the financial capital and the national capital, the expressway is also expected to strengthen the economy of its regions.

The quicker transport of goods is expected to give a fillip to industrial growth and exports.

The Expressway is expected to provide leverage to the tier-2 and tier-3 cities that it connects as the region is expected to see a rise of smart cities which can attract investors.

Industry experts anticipate that the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway region will see a pool of investment opportunities in developing business clusters, residential properties, retail, malls, hospitals and educational institutes.

The Expressway also covers a lot of tourist spots including Ranthambhor, Keoladeo, and Sariska national parks as well as historic cities such as Ajmer and Jaipur. This is an opportunity for the hospitality and tourism industry to grow. The rise of the hospitality industry will be backed by the real estate sector.