India is set to commence a new Rs62.84bn ($1bn) project to increase the Eastern Peripheral Expressway of National Highway Number NE-II to six lanes in the states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

The total cost of project includes the cost of land acquisition, resettlement and rehabilitation and other pre-construction activities.

The project covers the districts of Sonepat, Faridabad and Palwal in Haryana and Baghpat, Gautam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh.

"The project will ease congestion on Delhi roads, which are crowded by trucks and buses."

Development of the 135km stretch will help uplifting of the socio-economic conditions of the region of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, while accelerating improvement of infrastructure in the two states.

The project will ease congestion on Delhi roads, which are crowded by trucks and buses. It will also lower pollution levels in the city.

It will also increase generate employment opportunities for local labourers for project activities.

The project was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), and will be executed under a design, build, finance, operate and transfer (DBFOT) model in build, operate and transfer (BOT-Annuity) mode of delivery.

The latest project follows a major national highway widening project approved by CCEA in Haryana, under the government’s flagship road development programme.

The widening project includes four-laning the Kaithal Rajasthan border section of National Highway-152/65 (NH-152/65) in Haryana under National Highways Development Project (NHDP) Phase IV.