Mathura does not announce itself on the Yamuna Expressway — it arrives quietly through a signboard and an exit ramp somewhere around the 100 to 129-kilometre mark from the expressway’s Zero Point at Pari Chowk, Greater Noida. The 165.5-kilometre Yamuna Expressway, connecting Greater Noida to Agra, passes through the Mathura and Vrindavan zone at its approximate midpoint — and this passage makes the expressway the fastest road access between Delhi NCR and one of Hinduism’s most sacred pilgrimage belts.
There is no expressway officially named the “Mathura Expressway.” The road connecting Delhi NCR to Mathura at expressway standard is the Yamuna Expressway — specifically the section that passes through Mathura district. The expressway was built to decongest the old Delhi-Agra National Highway (NH-2), commonly called Mathura Road, which used to route all Delhi-Agra and Delhi-Mathura traffic through the city’s streets. YEIDA built the Yamuna Expressway in three phases at ₹12,839 crore, inaugurating it on August 9, 2012.
In April 2025, a ₹1,645 crore project to connect the Yamuna Expressway directly to the Delhi-Agra Highway in Mathura was approved — a game-changing link for the city’s pilgrimage infrastructure. This 15-kilometre, six-lane road will start at Jaint (km 129.32 on the expressway), pass near Ramtal in Vrindavan, and cross the Yamuna River via a new bridge from Jugal Ghat in Vrindavan to Jahangirpur. A 3,000-vehicle multi-level parking facility at the Yamuna River crossing will allow pilgrims to park and use smaller vehicles for Vrindavan-Mathura city movement — eliminating the expressway-to-city traffic congestion that currently bottlenecks pilgrimage traffic on both roads.
Mathura Expressway Overview
| Detail | Information |
| Name | Mathura Expressway (Yamuna Expressway through Mathura District) |
| Formal Expressway Name | Yamuna Expressway (Taj Expressway) |
| Maintained By | Jaypee Infratech Ltd (for YEIDA until 2048) |
| Total Length | 165.537 km (Greater Noida to Agra) |
| Mathura District Section | Approx. km 95–135 on the expressway |
| Toll Plazas near Mathura | Mathura Toll Plaza (one of four on the expressway) |
| Inaugurated | August 9, 2012 |
| Project Cost | ₹12,839 crore |
| Lanes | 6-lane (expandable to 8) |
| Design Speed | 100–120 km/h |
| Toll Rate | ₹2.65/km |
| New Mathura Connectivity Project | ₹1,645 crore link road connecting expressway (km 129) to Delhi-Agra NH at Jaint |
| Mathura Link Road | 15 km, 6-lane; includes Yamuna River bridge (Jugal Ghat–Jahangirpur) |
| Mathura Link Parking | 3,000-vehicle multi-level facility |
| Approved | April 2025 |
| Purpose | Direct pilgrimage access to Mathura-Vrindavan without congestion |
Route and Location
The Yamuna Expressway passes through Mathura district along the eastern bank of the Yamuna River — specifically the Hathras and Mathura district boundary zone. The expressway runs alongside the Yamuna’s eastern floodplain through this section, giving it the closest physical proximity to the sacred river of any section of the 165-kilometre corridor. Four toll plazas operate on the full expressway — at Agra, Mathura, Aligarh, and Gautam Buddha Nagar.
Connectivity
From the Mathura section, the expressway connects northward to Pari Chowk (Greater Noida) and Delhi, and southward to Agra and the Agra-Lucknow Expressway. NH-2 (old highway, now NH-19) runs parallel to the Yamuna Expressway as the surface-level alternative. The new ₹1,645 crore Mathura link road will bridge the expressway-to-Mathura city gap directly, giving pilgrims the first direct, signal-free expressway connection to Vrindavan’s city limits.
Nearby Areas
Vrindavan — the forest town where Lord Krishna is said to have spent his childhood, home to the Banke Bihari Temple, ISKCON Temple, Prem Mandir, and over 5,000 temples in a 14-kilometre pilgrimage circuit — is the expressway’s most spiritually significant neighbouring town. Mathura’s Krishna Janmabhoomi — the birthplace of Lord Krishna, drawing millions of pilgrims particularly during Janmashtami and Holi — is the expressway corridor’s defining pilgrimage destination. The Keoladeo National Park (Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary) UNESCO World Heritage Site is approximately 50 kilometres from the Mathura section.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. What is the Mathura Expressway?
A: The section of the Yamuna Expressway (165.5 km, Greater Noida to Agra) that passes through Mathura district — specifically around the km 95–135 mark, with a dedicated Mathura Toll Plaza.
Q2. Is there a direct road from Yamuna Expressway to Vrindavan?
A: A ₹1,645 crore, 15-km, six-lane link road was approved in April 2025 to connect the expressway at km 129 to the Delhi-Agra Highway near Mathura, with a Yamuna River bridge and 3,000-vehicle multi-level parking at Vrindavan.
Q3. What is the toll rate on the Yamuna Expressway through Mathura?
A: ₹2.65 per km — cumulative across three toll plazas on the 165.5-km expressway.
Q4. How long has the Yamuna Expressway through Mathura been operational?
A: Since August 9, 2012 — when the full 165.5-km expressway was inaugurated.
Q5. Which temples near Mathura can be accessed from the Yamuna Expressway?
A: Vrindavan’s Banke Bihari Temple, ISKCON, and Prem Mandir, and Mathura’s Krishna Janmabhoomi — all accessible via the Mathura exit, and soon via the approved direct 15-km link road.