The Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway is one of ten expressways that are to be built as part of “Bharatmala Pariyojana.” This 670 km long expressway, a combination of brownfield and greenfield expressways, links the states of Haryana, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, and Delhi. Currently an eight-lane access-controlled expressway, its width could eventually increase to four lanes.
The expressway, which connects Delhi to Vaishno Devi in Katra and the Golden Temple in Amritsar, will facilitate religious tourism. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has approved the construction of an additional road connecting the Amarnath shrine. Important Sikh holy sites Tarn Taran, Goindwal Sahib, Khadoor Sahib, and Dera Baba Nanak will all be connected by the expressway.
The Union Minister predicts that by December 2025, the expressway will probably be accessible to the general public. Permission to link the Delhi-Katra Expressway and the Bahadurgarh Bypass was recently granted by the central government to the Haryana government.
Let us examine the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway in more detail, covering its main features, history, route map, current state, and breaking news.
Project Specifics: Delhi-Katra Expressway
- The project was revealed in 2016, and the comprehensive report was completed in 2019.
- The expressway will run from the Punjab cities of Gurudaspur and Nakodar to the Bahadurgarh border in Delhi and Katra.
- The Greenfield expressway divides in two close to the Punjab town of Nakodar.
- The first Greenfield section would end close to Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport near Amritsar, after passing through Sultanpur Lodhi, Goindwal Sahib, Khadoor Sahib, and TarnTarn.
- The Brownfield and Greenfield Expressways are both included in the second section. It avoids Kathua and Jammu and travels directly to Katra.
- Around 14,000 acres from Punjab and 5,000 acres from Haryana are anticipated to be purchased.
Delhi-Katra Expressway: Crucial Details
The New Delhi-Katra Expressway is a game changer connecting numerous pilgrimage sites in Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir.
Let us examine some of the Delhi-Katra Expressway’s main features:
| Particulars | Facts |
| Project Length | 670 km |
| Start Point | Jasur Kheri village near Bahadurgarh border, Delhi |
| End Point | Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport, Amritsar, Punjab Katra, Jammu & Kashmir |
| Lanes | 4-lane, expandable to 8 |
| Operational Date | December 2025 |
| Project Cost | Rs 35,000 crore |
| Operational Date | December 2025 |
| Status | Under construction |
Route: Delhi-Katra Expressway
Twelve packages are planned for the 397 km long Delhi-Nakodar section’s construction. Three packages will be created to work on the remaining section, the areas between Nakodar and Amritsar. At the Mullanpur Dakha-Kang Sahbu section, this section will merge with the Delhi-Nakodar section.
Map of the Delhi-Katra Expressway
The Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar, Punjab, and Katra, Jammu and Kashmir, mark the beginning and end of the expressway, which begins in the village of Jasaur Kheri, close to the Bahadurgarh border in Delhi. Below is the route map.
Building of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway
In April 2021, NHAI was awarded the task of constructing the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra. There are two stages to the expressway’s construction:
A greenfield expressway is Phase 1.
- Phase 1 includes the 397.7 km Delhi-Nakodar-Gurdaspur segment. This phase has twelve packages, with work currently allocated to each package.
- Three packages cover the 99-km Delhi-Katra Expressway stretch between Nakodar and Amritsar; two have already been awarded, and the third package’s tender was released in September 2021.
Phase 2 expressways will be a combination of brownfield and greenfield areas.
- Phase Two’s Gurdaspur-Katra section is broken up into four packages. In September 2021, the technical bid for Phase 2 was started.
Katra-Delhi Expressway: Shorter commute
There are currently 669 kilometers separating Delhi and Katra. The expressway will be shortened to 588 km once it is operational. It would take about six hours to complete the route, which currently takes about fourteen. Thanks to the Delhi Amritsar Katra Expressway, the trip from Delhi to Amritsar will take just four hours and cover a distance of only 405 km. There would also be a 2-hour trip from Delhi to Chandigarh.
The Delhi-Katra Expressway is expected to be finished in two years, or by 2023, according to a September 2021 statement issued by Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways. However, there has been a delay in the project’s schedule. By December 2025, the eagerly awaited Delhi-Amritsar-Katra expressway is anticipated to open to traffic. An estimated Rs 47,000 crore will be needed for the project; some of that amount will go toward purchasing land and the remainder towards building.
Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway: Timeline
- A comprehensive project report (DPR) was created in November 2019 for the Delhi-Amritsar Expressway.
- A comprehensive project report (DPR) was created in November 2019 for the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway.
- Land acquisition for the project began in January 2020.
- June 2020 marked the finalization of the expressway’s route map. Additionally, land acquisition in Punjab started near Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport in Raja Sansi and extended to Kang Sahib Rai Village near Nakodar. Amritsar also has a new Greenfield Expressway added to it.
- Land acquisition in some areas of Jammu and Kashmir started in July 2022. The Delhi-Nakoar-Gurdaspur section was given to NHAI for construction in two stages.
- August 2022: Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the expressway’s cornerstone. Between Bahadurgarh and Sangrur sections, the construction work began.
- December 2023: The entire expressway will be finished by the end of 2025, though some subsections will open gradually before then.
- February 2024: The plan to link Jhajjar, Haryana’s Bahadurgarh Bypass, and the Delhi Katra Expressway has been approved by the Central Government.
Facilities for the proposed Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway
- Bus depots
- Truck stops
- Food courts
- Recreational centers
- Trauma Centres
- Traffic Police Stations
- Fire Brigades
- Ambulance
Real estate impact of the Delhi Katra Expressway
In Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir, the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra expressway will pass numerous significant religious sites. The expressway will facilitate travel to numerous significant religious sites. The expressway will facilitate travel to several holy locations, including Tarn Taran, Golden Temple, Vaishno Devi, Goindwal Sahib, Sultanpur Lodhi, and Khadoor Sahib. The tier-2 and tier-3 localities along the expressway route can anticipate a boom in commercial activities, employment, social infrastructure, and real estate because tourism in and around these places will experience a surge. Therefore, the planned expressway will enhance connectivity while creating opportunities for more housing demand and tourism.
Current Update on the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway
The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways approved connecting the Delhi-Katra Expressway and the Bahadurgarh Bypass. The Haryana government suggested this connection. Following completion, it will take only four hours to travel from Delhi to Amritsar and roughly six hours to get to Katra. The highway will link up with Jhajjar, Haryana’s Bahadurgarh Bypass.