Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari informed the Lok Sabha that the Delhi–Vadodara section of the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway will be completed and opened to traffic by May 2026, enabling travel between Delhi and Vadodara by mid-2026.
The remaining stretch between the Gujarat–Madhya Pradesh border and Vadodara is yet to open due to a few pending issues, including the presence of power poles, power lines and a landslide-related obstruction.
Responding to a question by Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad, Gadkari said the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway project has been divided into 48 packages covering around 1,350 km, of which approximately 875 km has already been opened to traffic. He added that the overall project cost remains within the sanctioned budget.
The minister noted that delays in certain packages occurred due to land acquisition hurdles, late tree-cutting permissions, utility shifting delays and concessionaire defaults.
Gadkari also stated that while the Delhi–Vadodara section is scheduled for completion by May 2026, the Vadodara–Mumbai section will see delays in three packages in Gujarat, particularly between Gandeva and Vapi, pushing their completion to the 2027-28 financial year. Most of the remaining Vadodara–Mumbai stretch is expected to be completed by June 2026.
As of February 2026, the Vadodara-to-Gandeva (near Navsari) section in Gujarat has already been opened for traffic. However, work on the Gandeva-Valsad and Valsad-Vapi stretches is progressing slowly and is likely to be completed only by late 2027 or early 2028. Meanwhile, on the Bharuch-Kim section, where a power pole still stands along the alignment, a temporary bypass has been created and the stretch is operational.