The Delhi–Amritsar–Katra Expressway, a 667-km greenfield corridor, is being developed in multiple packages across Haryana, Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir. While several sections have been completed, some Punjab stretches remain delayed, with the government working on fresh contracts for unfinished portions.
667-km corridor connecting Punjab with Delhi and J&K
According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the expressway will connect major Punjab cities including Sangrur, Malerkotla, Patiala, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Gurdaspur, before continuing towards Jammu & Kashmir. The government expects the project to reduce travel distance by around 40 km and ease pressure on existing highways.
The project is also intended to improve industrial connectivity in Punjab and Haryana and provide faster access to Amritsar and Katra.
Several packages are already complete
In March 2026, the government told the Rajya Sabha that Packages I to IV in Haryana had reached 100% physical progress. Package VI in Punjab was also listed as completed, while Packages V and VII were nearing completion.
In July 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated 157.92 km covering Packages I to V and inaugurated the 30.9-km Package VI in Punjab. The Union government said these sections were part of the fully access-controlled corridor.
Why has the project been delayed?
The major delays are concentrated in several unfinished packages. As per the March 2026 parliamentary status, Package VIII (35.09 km), Package X (39.5 km) and Package XI (43.02 km) had been foreclosed, with fresh bids invited for the balance works.
The Amritsar connectivity spur is another major point of delay. The 16.9-km Spur-I had only 28.64% physical progress and its expected completion was revised from April 2026 to March 2028. Spur-II, measuring 30.05 km, had its contract terminated and fresh bids were invited, while Spur-III was listed at 29.70% progress with an expected completion of February 2027.
Delhi to Amritsar in 4 hours?
The July 2026 PMO release said the completed corridor is expected to eventually bring Delhi–Amritsar travel time down from about eight hours to four hours, while Delhi–Katra travel could fall from around 14 hours to nearly six hours.
However, these are projected travel times, not a current guarantee for the entire route.
When will the full route be ready?
The latest parliamentary information available places different sections on different completion schedules. Therefore, the entire 667-km expressway is not yet fully operational, and completion will happen in phases rather than through a single opening date.