No More NCR Gridlock: DND-Manesar Link Offers Direct Entry To Delhi-Mumbai Expressway

With Holi around the corner, travellers heading towards Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Gujarat may soon find their road trips far less stressful. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is set to ease access to the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway by opening a crucial new connector that will allow motorists to bypass some of the most congested stretches in and around Delhi-NCR.

At present, the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway begins from Sohna in Haryana, forcing drivers to first navigate through South Delhi and parts of Faridabad to reach the starting point. This approach has long been associated with heavy traffic snarls, especially during festival seasons and long weekends, often adding hours to travel time.

To address this bottleneck, authorities

have developed the DND-Manesar Expressway (NH-148NA), a direct link designed to streamline entry onto the Delhi-Mumbai corridor. The new route begins at the DND Flyway and stretches through the Faridabad bypass before reaching Manesar, where it merges with the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. Once operational, the link will enable motorists from Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad and Meerut to access the main expressway without having to pass through Sohna.

The development is expected to particularly benefit travellers from eastern and central parts of the NCR, who can join the route directly via the DND Flyway or the Meerut Expressway. By eliminating the need to navigate crowded urban roads, the new connection promises quicker and smoother access to long-distance routes leading west and south.

Officials say the move is aimed at making inter-state road travel more convenient, especially during peak travel periods such as festivals. With significant portions of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway already operational, many commuters may increasingly opt for private vehicles over trains, enjoying flexible travel with stops along the way.

Apart from aiding long-distance travellers, the project is also expected to ease daily congestion within the capital. Areas such as Mathura Road, Ashram Chowk and Sir CV Raman Marg regularly witness severe traffic jams, particularly around densely populated localities including New Friends Colony, Batla House, Zakir Nagar and Taimur Nagar. These corridors handle more than 1 lakh vehicles daily, often leading to gridlocks on main roads and spillover congestion on inner lanes.

Transport planners estimate that once the DND-Manesar Expressway becomes fully functional, traffic pressure on these routes could reduce by as much as 40-50%. The new link is thus seen not only as a boost for highway connectivity but also as a major relief measure for urban commuters struggling with chronic congestion.