Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the 246-km Delhi to Jaipur stretch of the 1,386-km Delhi to Mumbai mega expressway.
The first stage of the expressway would cut down travel time between
the national capital and Jaipur, to just 3.5 hours.
In the event held at Dausa in Rajasthan, Modi said rural markets are being developed around the expressway where the local artisans can sell their article.
The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway will be India's longest with a length of 1,386 km.
It will reduce travel distance between Delhi and Mumbai by 12%, from 1,424 km to 1,242 km, while the travel time will be cut by 50%, from the current 24 hours to 12 hours, Prime Minister Office said.
The entire project is expected to be completed by December 2024 and the government is expected to spend around Rs 1 lakh crore on the project.
The Delhi-Jaipur stretch of the expressway starts from Sohna in Haryana and goes till Lalsot in Rajasthan and has been developed at a cost of Rs 12,150 crore.
The top speed of vehicles allowed on this road will be 120 kmph.
The highway will pass through six states of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.