Dehradun, In a new path to economic development, the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway preserves rich biodiversity and ecology, with the construction of Asia’s longest elevated wildlife corridor, saving over 34,000 trees from being felled.
According to an official statement, the last 20 km stretch of the six-lane, 213 km expressway passes through dense forest areas of the Shivalik Forest Division of Uttar Pradesh, the Rajaji Tiger Reserve and Dehradun Forest Division of Uttarakhand.
The 12 km elevated corridor, which includes eight animal passages, two elephant underpasses, and a 370-meter-long tunnel near the Daat Kali Temple, will ensure safe and uninterrupted movement of wildlife and reduce human-wildlife conflict, the statement said.
All necessary precautionary measures have been taken to protect wildlife in the corridor, including sound and light barriers to minimise the impact of noise and light on the wildlife, it said.
It was initially estimated that the construction of the expressway project would require the felling of 45,000 trees. However, with the scientists’ expertise and improved use of technology, only 11,160 trees had to be cut, leaving the remaining 33,840 trees untouched, it said.
In Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, extensive compensatory tree plantations have been carried out in relation to the transfer of forest land under this project. A total of 165.5 hectares of compensatory tree plantations have been carried out, with 1.95 lakh trees planted, it said.
Under the guidance of the Supreme Court’s Monitoring Committee, various ecological restoration works aimed at forest and wildlife conservation are being undertaken with an additional allocation of ₹40 crore, it said.
In this regard, the State’s Forest Minister, Subodh Uniyal, said that this project serves as an excellent example of balancing development with ecology.
He remarked, “This expressway will boost tourism, trade, and local employment opportunities, thereby strengthening the regional economy. It will save both time and fuel, while simultaneously ensuring the conservation of biodiversity and ecology.”
The completion of this expressway will reduce the travel time between Delhi and Dehradun to two and a half hours, which earlier took five to six hours.
The expressway features 10 interchanges, three Railway Overbridges , four major bridges, and 12 roadside public amenity centres.
To ensure a safe and seamless travel experience for commuters, the expressway is equipped with an Advanced Traffic Management System.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
