PM inaugurates Western Peripheral Expressway in NCR

The Prime Minister inaugurates the Kundli-Manesar–Palwal (KMP) also known as the Western Peripheral Expressway, which along with the Eastern Peripheral Expressway opened in May this year, forms the largest ring road around Delhi. After commissioning of the project around 50,000 heavy vehicles will stop entering Delhi, which in turn will help in reducing air pollution and traffic congestion in the city. The 135 km long project took 15 long years to complete as it was first proposed in 2003 along with Delhi Eastern Peripheral Expressway and was to be completed in 2009. It was planned as a Build Operate Transfer (BOT) project to be constructed an access controlled four-lane expressway from NH 1 near Kundli in Sonipat to NH 2 at Palwal near Faridabad. The government of the day upgraded the project to a six-lane expressway, against the original plan of four-lane. In 2016, Essel Infrastructure won the contract to complete the project, with a deadline to complete it by February 2019. In 2016, the 53 km long stretch of the route between Manesar and Palwal was opened for public and that the expressway crisscross four major national highways including NH 1, NH 2, NH 8 and NH 10, claimed official sources.