Rs 6,969-Crore 6-Lane Tunnel Project In Delhi Cleared By Cabinet

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Wednesday approved the construction of an 8.1 km, 6-lane tunnel and elevated corridor linking the Dwarka Expressway with Nelson Mandela Marg in Delhi's Vasant Kunj at a cost of Rs 6,969.67 crore. The project will be executed under the hybrid annuity mode (HAM).

The government said the project will provide faster connectivity between west and south Delhi, connecting the Dwarka Expressway with Vasant Kunj 

The tunnel will also benefit traffic coming from Gurugram, Dwarka, Indira Gandhi International Airport, and West Delhi toward the south.

The underground twin-tube tunnel - 1.98 km section - will pass beneath the Southern Ridge Forest, minismising surface disruption and helping preserve the ecologically sensitive area. 

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is also planning an elevated corridor between AIIMS and Mahipalpur, which will connect the tunnel to the Barapullah elevated road, improving connecting between west and south Delhi and east Delhi, Noida and Ghaziabad, the government said.

The proposed tunnel will originate from the Shiv Murti Interchange and terminate before the Nelson Mandela Marg-Mahipalpur-Chhatarpur Road intersection. To ease congestion at the junction, a 1.8 km elevated road has been proposed along Nelson Mandela Marg.

An additional flyover linking Chhatarpur and Mahipalpur, along with an elevated U-turn for traffic heading toward Chhatarpur, is also part of the plan.

The project's main carriageway will stretch 6.3 km, while the total length, including flyovers, ramps and elevated sections, will be 8.1 km. This includes 3.14 km of tunnel, nearly 1 km of approach ramps, 2.56 km of elevated roads, and 870 metres of at-grade road.

The government said the project is expected to generate significant employment during construction, creating an estimated 7.54 lakh person-days of direct employment and 9.8 lakh person-days of indirect employment. 

It added that the project is also likely to spur economic activity and create additional job opportunities in the surrounding area.