India, Dec. 17 -- The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway (DME), which passes through five states and is expected to reduce on-road travel time, is likely to be completed by 2027-28, Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

The original deadline for the 1,350-km expressway, which passes through Haryana (129 km), Rajasthan (373 km), Madhya Pradesh (244 km), Gujarat (426 km) and Maharashtra (171 km), was March 2024.

During Question Hour in the Lok Sabha last week, the minister had said the first leg of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, from the Delhi-Noida Direct (DND) Flyway to Jaitpur in Delhi, will be ready by June 2026, with 94% of the work completed.

The Sohna-Dausa-Lalsot stretch in Haryana and Rajasthan has be...