Good news for Delhi-NCR travellers: New Haldwani expressway to cut Nainital travel time by over 3 hours

A new Bareilly-Haldwani Greenfield Expressway is expected to improve road connectivity between Delhi-NCR and Uttarakhand's Kumaon region while reducing travel time towards Nainital and other hill destinations by more than three hours. The proposed 100-km, four-lane corridor aims to provide a faster alternative to existing congested routes and improve access to destinations such as Nainital, Bhimtal and Ranikhet.

The project is expected to strengthen connectivity between Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand while providing a smoother travel experience for tourists, local residents and businesses.

100-km Greenfield Expressway planned

The proposed Bareilly-Haldwani Greenfield Expressway will be a 100-km controlled-access, four-lane highway connecting Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh with Haldwani in Uttarakhand.

Unlike conventional road-widening projects, the expressway is being developed on a new alignment designed to reduce congestion and improve travel efficiency. The corridor will provide a direct high-speed route between the two cities.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has reportedly approved the project and initiated preliminary work. Construction activity on the proposed corridor is reported to have begun in late May.

Which areas will the expressway bypass?

A key feature of the project is its ability to bypass several congestion-prone stretches that frequently experience traffic delays.

The proposed corridor is expected to bypass:

• Rudrapur
• Kichha
• Lalkuan
• Pantnagar
• Baheri

By avoiding these bottlenecks, the expressway is expected to provide faster and more predictable travel towards Uttarakhand's hill destinations.

How will Delhi-NCR travellers benefit?

The new corridor is expected to improve connectivity between Delhi-NCR and the Kumaon region by creating a more direct route towards Haldwani, which serves as the gateway to several popular hill stations.

The project is expected to reduce travel time by more than three hours on existing routes affected by congestion and local traffic. It will also improve access from Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and other NCR cities through connections with NH-30 and NH-24 near Bareilly.

The improved road network is expected to make weekend and holiday travel more convenient for visitors heading towards Uttarakhand.

Better connectivity for tourism and business

Apart from benefiting tourists, the expressway is expected to improve transport connectivity for industrial and commercial hubs around Pantnagar and Lalkuan. Officials believe the corridor will support smoother movement of goods and passengers while strengthening economic links between Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

What it means for travellers

The proposed expressway could help:

• Reduce travel time towards Nainital and the Kumaon region
• Ease congestion on existing routes
• Improve road safety through a controlled-access corridor
• Provide smoother connectivity from Delhi-NCR
• Support tourism in Uttarakhand
• Strengthen regional transport connectivity