PM to inaugurate Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor today: Know key features
PM to inaugurate Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor today: Know key features
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 213km-long Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor on Tuesday.
The ₹12,000 crore project is expected to cut travel time between Delhi and Dehradun from over six hours to just two-and-a-half hours.
The corridor passes through Baghpat, Baraut, Shamli and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
It was first launched by Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on February 26, 2021.
Corridor has Asia's longest elevated wildlife stretch
The Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor has a 12km-long elevated wildlife corridor, one of the longest in Asia.
This feature is aimed at reducing human-animal conflict and habitat fragmentation in the Shivalik landscape.
The forest area is home to endangered species such as tigers, elephants, greater hornbills and king cobras.
Other wildlife-friendly features include eight animal passes and two elephant underpasses.
Other features of the corridor
The corridor also has 10 interchanges, three railway overbridges, four major bridges and 12 wayside amenities.
An advanced traffic management system (ATMS) has been installed to improve safety and efficiency.
The project is expected to provide seamless connectivity with other major expressways like the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and Eastern Peripheral Expressway.
Wildlife began using underpasses after completion of project
A recent study, Landscapes Reconnected, conducted by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and Wildlife Institute of India, showed that an 18km stretch between Ganeshpur and Asharodi recorded over 1.11 lakh images of humans, domestic animals and wildlife using the underpasses.
The golden jackal was the most frequently recorded species, followed by nilgai, sambar and spotted deer.
Elephants were also observed using these corridors safely.
Project faced criticism for deforestation
Despite its benefits, the project has faced criticism for deforestation. A total of 17,913 trees were felled or transplanted during construction.
As a mitigation measure, NHAI is planting 50,600 trees within the right-of-way and has given ₹40 crore to forest departments in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
In March 2025, NHAI was fined by the National Green Tribunal for not providing details of afforestation efforts.