Gurgaon: National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has begun partial trials on the 43km Gurgaon-Pataudi-Rewari highway, allowing vehicles to use completed stretches while work continues on some flyovers and service roads.The 43.8km corridor is being developed as a four-lane highway with two-lane service roads on both sides. It includes several flyovers and a railway overbridge at major junctions. According to NHAI, most flyovers, including the one at Wazirpur, are likely to be completed by Oct end, enabling more sections to be opened to traffic. The flyovers at Jamalpur and Babra-Bakipur are expected to be ready by the end of this month.Along the 43km-long stretch, there are 19 flyovers, four pedestrian underpasses, one railbridge at Pahari and one unidirectional flyover (overpass) that connects the highway with Dwarka Expressway. The railbridge and unidirectional flyover are expected to be completed by Dec end and Jan next year, respectively.The Dwarka Expressway flyover has been delayed because a 400kV transmission line of Delhi Transco Ltd must be shifted. The line is expected to be relocated by Nov, after which the remaining approach and structural work will be taken up. The railbridge at Pahari village is likely to be completed by Dec.Officials said traffic movement would not need to wait until all flyovers and underpasses are completed, as vehicles can use service roads and at-grade sections in the meantime.“We have started the partial traffic movement on the completed sections. Except for the railbridge and uni-directional flyover at Dwarka Expressway, most flyovers will be ready and traffic can be moved through the main carriageways and service roads by Octr-end,” an NHAI official said.On Thursday, TOI visited the site and found that the right-hand side service road was being blacktopped. Work on the left-hand side will begin after a sewer line is shifted. The existing sewer has been removed, and a new pipeline is being laid. Road markings and other safety features will also be installed before the project is completed, the official said.Once fully operational, the highway is expected to improve connectivity between Gurgaon, southern Haryana and Rajasthan, while easing the load on the congested Delhi-Jaipur Expressway. It will also provide an alternative route to industrial areas in Manesar, Bilaspur and Dharuhera, ensuring smoother movement for commuters and transporters.The project was conceived in 2018, when the govt decided to upgrade the two-lane state highway into a four-lane national highway at an initial estimated cost of Rs 900 crore.Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari laid the foundation stone in July 2020. The project was initially scheduled for completion in Dec 2022, but construction began only in Nov 2021 with a revised two-year deadline.Work came to a halt in Sept 2022 after National Green Tribunal (NGT) intervened following an appeal by environmentalists over forest clearance. The petitioners objected to the compensatory afforestation plan, arguing that planting trees 300km away in Panchkula would not restore the green cover lost in the highway construction zone.In April 2024, Supreme Court allowed NHAI to resume work but directed that compensatory afforestation be carried out within the city to offset the environmental impact. Rains and the annual ban on construction activities in NCR to curb pollution also slowed the project.The highway was initially planned with 16 flyovers, but the number was later increased to 25 because of additional requirements, including demands from villages and changes in road arrangements. The project cost has now risen to nearly Rs 2,000 crore.
