Top 10 Expressways in India

India boasts an extensive network of expressways, with a total length of 5,930 km, and an additional stretch of over 11,000 km in the planning stages. These developments aim to greatly improve the experience of traveling long distances by road. Among the network, twelve National Expressways stand out, including the record-breaking Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, and a total of 32 State Expressways are either operational or in progress. Uttar Pradesh leads with six operational expressways, with plans for seven more, setting a new state record for the highest number of expressways with a total of 13.

Expressways are essentially upgraded versions of traditional highways, providing managed access points at their entrances to prevent accidents and unnecessary delays for high-speed vehicles.

This article will provide readers with insights into the top 10 expressways in India, highlighting their significance and quality.

Delhi Mumbai Expressway

The Delhi Mumbai Expressway, spanning over 1,450 kilometers and currently 577 km operational, is considered a major achievement in the country's road network, designed to cut down the travel time from Delhi to Mumbai from 24 hours to just 12 hours. This expressway, starting in 2019 and the vision of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, is set to transform the road infrastructure linking the two significant cities: Delhi, for its political and administrative importance, and Mumbai, as the economic hub.

The modern Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is on its way to being fully open for vehicles, as the last stretch of the construction work on it is nearing completion. This expressway stands as the longest in the country and will provide essential facilities along the way, including amenities, rest areas, food outlets, and retail stores to enhance the travel experience and offer support to the drivers if necessary.

It will traverse through several states, including Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra, covering the entire 1,450 km distance. Initially planned to have 8 lanes, it may be expanded to 12 in the future.

Purvanchal Expressway

Purvanchal Expressway starts from the Gosaiganj near Lucknow and ends near Muhammadabad in Ghazipur, terminating its road infrastructure magnificence of 340 km. In Gosaiganj, this expressway quits into NH731 and in Ghazipur, the journey on the Purvanchal Expressway ends on NH31. It is an entirely functioning and one of the fastest expressways in India, furnishing speedy and secure vehicular movement to the capital city Lucknow of India's most populated state from its low-key districts such as Sultanpur, Azamgarh, Ghazipur, Mau and Balia.

The construction of the Purvanchal Expressway was initiated in 2018 and was concluded in November 2021. It is the longest expressway in Uttar Pradesh that is active. The six-lane access-controlled motorway can be extended to 8 lanes in future and is materialised and preserved by the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA). Its foundation stone was laid down in 2015 state's former CM Mr Akhilesh Yadav, and, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi upon its culmination in 2021.

Yamuna Expressway

Launched in 2012, the Yamuna Expressway was the initiative of the then Chief Minister of UP, Akhilesh Yadav, that significantly cut travel times between Greater Noida and Agra by 65%, linking several districts in Western Uttar Pradesh to Delhi and the National Capital Region. Operated by YEIDA, the expressway spans 165.567 km, costing more than Rs 22000 crores, and accommodates over a quarter of a million daily vehicles, alleviating congestion on NH2 or Mathura Road.

Looking ahead, the expressway's six-lane configuration could be expanded to up to eight lanes, enhancing the connectivity between cities like Noida, Jewar, Vrindavan, Hathras, Mathura, and Agra.

In India, the Yamuna Expressway currently ranks sixth among the longest expressways, boasting 31 service roads for safe and secure access to essential locations along its path.

In 2015, the expressway facilitated an exciting test when a Dassault Mirage 2000 made a historic landing there to evaluate its suitability for emergency fighter jet landings.

Delhi Meerut Expressway

Delhi Meerut Expressway is one of the most busiest and is officially the widest expressway in India, having 14 lanes stretching up to Dasna. The need for the Delhi Meerut Expressway was first mentioned in 1999 in the parliament and was proposed officially in 2005. Delhi Meerut expressway in India was completed in 2021 with the inauguration of the Dasna to Meerut Package and it was built by the central government.

The total estimated cost of building this 96km road infrastructure project was between Rs 8,000 to 10,000 crores, divided into four packages.

Mumbai Pune Expressway

The Mumbai-Pune expressway sees over 50,000 vehicles passing through it each day, ranking among the busiest expressways in the country. Completed in 2001, it spans a distance of 94 km and offers a pleasant journey experience with its scenic vistas and views between the two major cities of Maharashtra, Mumbai and Pune.

Pune stands as a cultural hub in Maharashtra, while Mumbai is known as the economic capital of the nation. This has led to the creation of a direct route that allows vehicles to travel at speeds of up to 100 km, enhancing the connection between these two key economic centers.

The Mumbai-Pune expressway is recognized for its beauty, cutting through hilly terrain and passing through popular cities like Panvel, Khandala, Lonavala, and Talegaon, among others. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is responsible for its upkeep.

Eastern Peripheral Expressway

Eastern Peripheral Expressway is built to ease the traffic on the Ghaziabad-Faridabad stretch and reduce the entry of over 50,000 trucks reducing the heavy vehicular pollution significantly in the national capital. In length, the Eastern Peripheral or KGP (Kundli-Ghaziabad-Palwal) expressway is 135 kilometres and is connected to the Western Peripheral Expressway on both sides, forming a ring road around the Delhi Metro City to ease the congestion by vehicles that are meant to skip the Delhi City and other major hotspots such as Gurgaon, Noida and Faridabad.

The EPE road infrastructure project’s foundation was laid down by the prime minister of India Narendra Modi in 2015 and was estimated to be built at around 11,000 crores in Indian Rupees. In 2018, the 135 km Expressway in India was inaugurated and it is lashed with several state-of-the-art security and safety features such as electronic & closed tolling systems, weigh-in-motion sensors, cameras to check vehicles' speed, 4,000 kilowatts solar capacity plants, lakhs of trees plantation etc.

Western Peripheral Expressway

WPE Expressway stands as one of India's premier expressways, featuring 6 lanes and stretching a total of 136km. It has been heralded as one of the nation's most eagerly awaited infrastructure projects, which was ceremoniously opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This modern western outer ring expressway, also referred to as the KMP (Kundli-Manesar-Palwal) expressway, links Kundli in Sonipat to Palwal. The WPE traverses Sonipat, Jhajjar, Manesar, Sohna, and Palwal.

Additionally, plans are underway for a Delhi Metro line to be integrated into the route, during the DMRC phase V.

The expressway was fully accessible to the public in 2018, after the completion of the remaining sections in the same year. It is regarded as one of the leading expressways in India and is a key component of the Delhi Rig Road initiative, designed with the goal of relieving Delhi and its neighboring areas from the influx of excessive vehicles that contribute significantly to carbon emissions in the Delhi NCR region.

Ahmedabad Vadodara Expressway

Ahmedabad Vadodara Expressway is a 94 km long road infrastructure, also known as Mahatma Gandhi Road, and connects the two biggest cities in the Gujarat state, Ahmedabad and Vadodara, helping business activities. This expressway was opened for public use in 2002 and is an access-controlled expressway. Although the expressway has only 2 lanes on each of the sides, the construction work to extend it to 6 lanes has been going on for several years.
It is maintained by NHAI and was built at an estimated cost of 475 crores in 2002. Two-wheeler entry is banned on this expressway to prevent unwarranted road accidents. Among the top fastest expressways in India, the Ahmedabad Vadodara Expressway goes through Nadiad and Anand cities along the route.

Bundelkhand Expressway

The Bundelkhand Expressway, spanning 296 kilometers and designed with controlled access, was inaugurated in 2022 by the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Originally announced in 2017, this ambitious project has been pivotal in enhancing connectivity for various districts, bridging the gap between the north and south of the densely populated state of Uttar Pradesh.
Directly linked to this expressway are the following areas: Etawah, Jalaun, Hamiprur, Mahoba, Banda, and Chitrakoot. The completion of one of India's longest expressways was a moment of great celebration and garnered widespread attention for several reasons.
The maintenance of the Bundelkhand Expressway falls under the purview of UPEIDA. The total cost for building this modern highway has exceeded Rs 14,000 crores.

Mumbai Nagpur Expressway

Mumbai Nagpur Expressway is an under-construction project in Maharashtra state and is to be maintained by MDRDC. This 6-lane expressway can be expanded to 8 lanes in future and is access-controlled for safe and secure vehicle movements. It in total covers 10 districts of Maharashtra: Nagpur, Wardha, Amravati, Washim, Budhana, Jalna, Chattrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Ahmednagar, Nashik and Thane.

This is one of the top 10 expressways in India and also one of the longest as well, having a length of 701 km in total, offering high-speed driving experience on its access-controlled 6-lane roads.