Commuters will soon be able to cover the journey between Delhi and Haridwar in just 90 minutes with the upcoming launch of a new highway corridor next month, according to Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari.

Speaking at the Confederation of Indian Industry's (CII) National Conference on ‘Highways of India's Future: Smart, Safe and Sustainable', Gadkari highlighted the transformative impact of recent infrastructure developments across the national capital region. He pointed out that travel time between Delhi and Meerut has already been slashed from over three hours to under 50 minutes, while the newly opened Delhi-Dehradun route has brought down travel duration from seven hours to just two hours.

The Minister emphasized that massive capital expenditure in infrastructure serves as a major driver for the nation's economy. Highlighting the economic multiplier effect, he noted that every ₹100 invested in infrastructure yields ₹325 in broader economic impact. Furthermore, nearly half of this capital expenditure directly supports tourism, creating significant employment opportunities and spurring demand for core industries like steel and cement.

The upcoming Delhi-Haridwar link is part of a broader push to strengthen connectivity to key spiritual and economic hubs across the country. Gadkari revealed that 80% to 85% of the Char Dham road project is now complete, resulting in a threefold increase in traffic from Delhi to pilgrimage destinations in Uttarakhand. Similar highway developments in Ayodhya and Maharashtra's Pandharpur are expected to yield comparable economic and tourism gains.