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The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will open a 67-kilometre four-lane spur between Bandikui and Jaipur by mid-July, trimming the Delhi–Jaipur journey by roughly one hour and shaving 12 kilometres off the route. Now undergoing a final safety audit, the access-controlled link forms part of the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway and will allow motorists to bypass the traffic-choked Jaipur–Agra highway (NH 44).At present it takes about two hours thirty minutes to reach the Bandhrej exit from Delhi and a further ninety minutes to negotiate the last 69 kilometres to Jaipur. Once the new corridor opens, NHAI regional officer Pradeep Atri expects the full trip to take three to three hours fifteen minutes.Built in two-and-a-half years at a cost of about Rs 13.7 billion, the spur has paved shoulders, full access control and an interchange at Bandikui that feeds directly on to the main Delhi–Mumbai carriageway. NHAI manager Pushpendra Singh forecasts a sharp shift of traffic from the traditional Delhi–Jaipur route to the expressway network when the section becomes operational.To ease pressure on the Jaipur–Agra highway, NHAI is also drawing up plans for a greenfield expressway connecting Jaipur with the Delhi–Agra corridor, a senior official confirmed.