Major connectivity boost: High-speed corridor to connect Dwarka Expy with Vasant Kunj gets approval
New Delhi, July 01: The Central Government has approved the construction of a 6-lane road tunnel connecting Dwarka Expressway in Delhi to Nelson Mandela Marg in Vasant Kunj. The estimated cost of this 8.1-km long project is ₹ 6969.67 crore.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved the proposal for NH-148AE connecting NH-248BB. The project will be built on hybrid annuity mode under the National Highways (Original) Scheme.
The proposed tunnel passes through the Rangpuri Ridge and starts from Shivmurti Interchange and ends before the intersection of Nelson Mandela Marg and Mahipalpur-Chhatarpur Road.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said at a press conference at the National Media Center that this project will provide faster connectivity between West and South Delhi by connecting the Dwarka Expressway to Vasant Kunj in South Delhi. This will also benefit traffic from Gurugram, Dwarka, IGI Airport, and West Delhi to South Delhi. The underground twin-tube tunnel reduces ground congestion and protects the Southern Ridge forest area. A 1.98-kilometer section of the tunnel passes beneath the ridge.
The NHAI also proposes an elevated corridor between AIIMS and Mahipalpur. This link tunnel will connect the Barapullah elevated road, connecting West Delhi and South Delhi, East Delhi, Ghaziabad, and Noida.
An elevated road (1.8 kilometers) is also proposed along Nelson Mandela Marg to ease congestion at this intersection. An additional flyover is also proposed from Chattarpur to Mahipalpur, alongside the existing flyover. An elevated U-turn is also proposed to facilitate traffic taking a right turn from Chhatarpur.
The main carriageway is 6.3 kilometers long. Including the proposed flyover and elevated U-turn on the Mahipalpur-Chhatarpur Road, the total project length is 8,100 kilometers. This includes a 3,140-kilometer tunnel, a 0.980-kilometer tunnel approach ramp, a 0.554-kilometer RE wall approach, a 2.556-kilometer elevated portion, and a 0.870-kilometer ground-level road.
According to Vaishnav, the development of each lane-kilometer of the national highway generates an average of 264 days of direct employment and an average of 55 days of indirect employment. The project will generate approximately 7.54 lakh days of direct employment and 9.80 lakh days of indirect employment. The project will also create additional employment opportunities due to increased economic activity along the proposed high-speed corridor.
