Anand Prabhakar
The much-awaited six-lane elevated corridor on NH-148A, stretching from the DND Flyway to Sohna, is in its final stages of construction and is expected to open for traffic within the next few months. Once operational, this 59-km stretch — part of the 91-km NH-148A — will provide a direct, signal-free route from Delhi-Noida to Sohna, Ballabgarh, and further south towards Palwal, and eventually connect to the upcoming Noida International Airport at Jewar.
For years, commuters travelling from south and east Delhi to Gurugram, Manesar, and the industrial belts of Faridabad have been forced to take long detours through congested city roads or the perpetually jammed Delhi-Mumbai Expressway entry points. The new corridor will cut travel time between DND and Sohna to under 45 minutes during peak hours, compared to the current two hours or more. More importantly, it will open up large tracts of land along the route for planned urban and industrial development, giving a fresh push to the National Capital Region’s expansion beyond Gurugram and Noida.
The DND Flyway itself has remained one of the most critical arteries of the NCR since it opened in 2001. Over two lakh vehicles cross this 9.2-km stretch between Delhi and Noida every day, making it one of the busiest toll roads in the country. The flyway has directly spurred the growth of commercial hubs, housing societies, IT parks, and educational institutions on both sides of the Yamuna. Real estate prices in sectors along the Noida Expressway and Greater Noida rose sharply after the DND became operational, and a similar ripple effect is now expected along the DND-Sohna corridor.
Work on the elevated section gained pace after the National Highways Authority of India handed over the project to a private concessionaire under the build-operate-transfer model. The corridor runs parallel to the existing Delhi-Mathura road but remains elevated for most of its length, avoiding local traffic lights and level crossings. Interchanges have been planned at key points, including near Ballabgarh and the upcoming Faridabad bypass, to ensure smooth entry and exit.
At the same time, the Noida Toll Bridge Company Limited (NTBCL), which operates and maintains the DND Flyway, has taken up the second phase of rehabilitation and strengthening of the original structure. This phase includes micro-surfacing of the carriageway, repair of expansion joints, embankment protection works, and upgrading of drainage systems. The company has stated that the exercise is aimed at extending the life of the flyway and handling the increased load once the Sohna corridor starts feeding additional traffic onto the DND.
Authorities believe the completed corridor will not only ease congestion on the Faridabad-Gurugram road and the old NH-71B but also attract fresh investment into areas that have remained underdeveloped despite being part of the NCR. Logistics and warehousing companies are already in talks with the Haryana government for land parcels near the corridor, while several residential and commercial developers have launched or revived projects in Sohna and nearby sectors.
The link assumes even greater significance with the Noida International Airport scheduled to begin operations by late 2025. Once the airport opens, the DND-Sohna-Jewar route will serve as one of the fastest surface connections between Delhi and the new airport, reducing dependence on the Yamuna Expressway for travellers coming from central and south Delhi.
Commuters and residents along the corridor have welcomed the development, though many have pointed out the need for last-mile connectivity and feeder bus services to make full use of the elevated road. The Haryana government has assured that parallel service lanes and underpasses for local traffic are part of the plan and will be completed in the next phase.
As the finishing touches are applied to the elevated structure, one thing is clear: the DND-Sohna link is not just another highway project. It is a vital piece of infrastructure that will knit together different parts of the NCR more tightly, bring down logistics costs, create thousands of direct and indirect jobs, and unlock the economic potential of areas that have long waited for their turn in the region’s growth story.
Anand Prabhakar is a lawyer turned communicator. He regularly writes on socio-legal topics that affect the lives of the masses.
