Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday, 11 June 2026, highlighted the construction of what is described as Asia's longest wildlife elevated corridor on the Ganeshpur-Dehradun section of the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, calling it a model of balancing ecology with economic development under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Context

In his post, CM Dhami stated — 'इकोलॉजी और इकॉनमी के समन्वय का उत्कृष्ट उदाहरण' ['an outstanding example of coordination between ecology and economy'] — underlining that the 12-kilometre elevated wildlife corridor on the expressway is designed to protect the movement of wildlife while simultaneously improving road connectivity for commuters. He credited the project's momentum to Prime Minister Modi's 'able leadership.'

The corridor forms part of the broader Delhi-Dehradun Expressway project, a flagship initiative aimed at drastically cutting travel time between the national capital and the Uttarakhand state capital, Dehradun.

Policy Backdrop

The Delhi-Dehradun Expressway is part of the Bharatmala Pariyojana, launched in 2015, which identified this corridor as a priority route for improving hill-state connectivity. The scheme is implemented by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and represents one of the most ecologically sensitive highway alignments in the country, passing through forested stretches in the Shivalik range.

India has increasingly embedded wildlife passages and elevated sections into expressway design in ecologically sensitive zones, with the aim of reducing habitat fragmentation and minimising human-animal conflict. Similar elevated stretches have been built on forest-passing highways in states such as Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, and the approach is now being applied at greater scale in the Himalayan region.

The project reflects a wider policy push by the central government to reconcile infrastructure expansion in the Himalayan states with environmental obligations, particularly given the region's biodiversity sensitivity and its status under various wildlife protection frameworks.

Stakeholders and Impact

For Uttarakhand residents and highway users, the expressway promises safer, smoother, and faster travel between Delhi and Dehradun, reducing a journey that currently takes several hours. The elevated corridor design means vehicles pass above the forest floor, allowing wildlife — including elephants and other large mammals known to inhabit the Rajaji belt — to move freely beneath without obstruction.

Conservationists and wildlife managers stand to benefit from reduced roadkill incidents and uninterrupted animal movement across what has historically been a fragmented corridor. Local communities along the route are also expected to see improved access to markets, healthcare, and emergency services once the expressway is fully operational.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to the full commissioning of the remaining sections of the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway and any subsequent announcements from NHAI or the Uttarakhand government regarding additional wildlife crossings or eco-sensitive design features on future highway projects in the state. As the Bharatmala programme continues to roll out across the Himalayan belt, the Ganeshpur-Dehradun corridor is likely to serve as a reference model for integrating environmental safeguards into large-scale road infrastructure.