Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway is an ambitious project of the Central Government that will be built under the Bharatmala Project. It is believed that after completing the 670 km long expressway, the distance from Delhi to Amritsar will be covered in four hours. The distance between Delhi and Katra, the gateway to Vaishno Devi, will also be reduced.
Delhi Amritsar Katra Expressway Overview
- Length: 670 km
- Cost: Rs. 25000 crores (Phase 1), Rs. 15000 crores (Phase 2)
- Lanes: 4 (expandable to 8)
- Starting Point: Jasaur Kheri Village, Bahadurgarh
- Ending Point: 1- Amritsar Airport 2- Katra
- Completion Year: December 2025 (expected)
About Delhi Amritsar Katra Expressway
The Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway is a part of the Bharatmala project. Delhi, Punjab, and Jammu Kashmir will connected with the brownfield and greenfield part of expressways.
It is presented in two parts, covering three states; The portion of National Expressway 5 (NE-5) between Delhi and Katra will run about 397 km via Gurdaspur and Nakodar. National Expressway 5A (NE-5A) will be the second 99 km stretch between Nakodar to Amritsar Airport.
Delhi Amritsar Katra Expressway connects many cities of Delhi, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir. It will go from Bahadurgarh in Delhi to Katra in Jammu and Kashmir via Gurdaspur and Nakodar. There are two parts; National Expressway 5 from Delhi to Nakodar is 397 km. The second part of National Expressway 5A is 99 km from Amritsar to Nakodar.
This 670 km long expressway will reduce the journey from Delhi to Amritsar by four hours. At present, it takes eight hours to cover this distance. The journey from Katra to Delhi will also be reduced from 14 hours to 6 hours. This will reduce time and distance. Through this route, the distance from Delhi to Amritsar will be 405 km, while the distance from Delhi to Katra will be 588 km from the present 727 km.
Delhi Amritsar Katra Expressway Route
Following is the route map of the Delhi Amritsar Katra Expressway. It tells which cities the Delhi Amritsar Katra Expressway will cover. The starting point of the expressway is Jasaur Kheri village near the Bahadurgarh border of Delhi, and its ending point is Sri Guru Ram Dass Ji International Airport in Amritsar, Punjab, Katra, Jammu and Kashmir.
Route Alignment
The Delhi Amritsar Katra Expressway is divided into two parts: the Delhi-Nakodar-Gurdaspur package, and the Gurdaspur-Katra package.
Haryana
- Jhajjar district-Jasaur Kheri
- Rohtak district- Hassangarh, between Sampla-Kharkhoda
- Sonipat district- Lakhan Majra and Gohana
- Jind- Jind and Assandh
- Kaithal-Narwana-Kaithal
Punjab
- Patiala- Kaithal-Khanauri Haryana
- Sangrur- Roshanwala-Bhawanigarh
- Malerkotla- Malerkotla and northwest of Nabha
- Ludhiana- Raikot-Jodhan-Ludhiana road
- Jalandhar- Nakodar-Phagwara
- Kapurthala- Firozpur-Sultanpur Lodhi-Kapurthala Road
- Tarn Taran Taran Taran-Goindwal Sahib-Kapurthala Road
- Amritsar Amritsar bypass, Amritsar-Batala-Gurdaspur Road
- Gurdaspur- Amritsar and Sri Hargobindpur on NH-503A Amritsar-Sri Hargobindpur-Urmar Tanda-Hoshiarpur Road
- Pathankot- Bhoa- Sunder Chak
Jammu Kashmir
- Jammu
- Kathua
Delhi Amritsar Katra Expressway Progress
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which owns the expressway, is building it in two phases in two hundred packages. Phase 1: is a forest area project, covering 397 km from Delhi to Nakodar and divided into twelve packages.
The second phase of greenfield and brownfield projects is 99 km from Gurdaspur to Katra. It has been divided into five packages.
The National Highway Authority of India has awarded tenders to various contractors for most of these packages.
The completion date of Delhi Amritsar Katra Expressway was October 2023. There have been delays for several reasons; One reason for this is that the Punjab government will have to work with the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). NHAI has sought directions from the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The project is stalled in many areas of the state due to opposition from land owners. At present, the highway is being built only on acquired land.
The Delhi Amritsar-Katra Expressway was recently inspected by Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari. He went to Punjab to inaugurate the 418 feet high Indian flag at Attari-Wagah border. Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Punjab Public Works Department Minister Harbhajan Singh and Member of Parliament from Amritsar Gurjit Singh Aujla inspected the expressway.
Connected Religious Places by Delhi Amritsar Katra Expressway
The construction of the Delhi Amritsar Katra Expressway will increase the connectivity of important religious places of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir with Delhi. The holy cities of Amritsar, Vaishno Devi (Jammu and Kashmir), Sultanpur Lodhi, Goindwal Sahib, Khadur Sahib and Tarn Taran are on the Delhi Amritsar Katra Expressway.
Amritsar: The second largest city of Punjab, is 28 km from Pakistan. The city is famous for the Golden Temple, the holiest gurudwara of Sikhism. Once the expressway is operational, the distance from Delhi to Amritsar can be reached in four hours.
Sri Vaishnodevi: Vaishnodevi is a sacred place in Hinduism; It is well connected by road and rail to Delhi and some other cities of western Uttar Pradesh. You will be able to easily cover the distance from Delhi through the new expressway in six hours. Employment opportunities will also increase in Katra and Vaishno Devi.
There are other religious places also on the way, which can be covered easily. This highway will connect important religious places like Sultanpur Lodhi, Goindwal Sahib, Khadur Sahib, Tarn Taran and Vaishno Devi. Passengers will find refreshments, trauma centres, ambulances, fire brigade, traffic police, bus bays and truck stops on the expressway.
Conclusion
The Delhi Amritsar Katra Expressway will built by the National Highway Authority of India, consisting of greenfield and brownfield expressways. This four-lane wide expressway is 670 km long and can be expanded to eight lanes if required. The expressway is being built at a cost of Rs 40,000 crore. It is 670 km and spans across three states: Delhi, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir. The Delhi Amritsar Katra Expressway route will connect holy religious places of Hindus and Sikhs, such as the Golden Temple and Vaishno Devi.