Cabinet Clears ₹6,969.67-Crore Tunnel Linking Dwarka Expressway with Vasant Kunj.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) recently approved the construction of an 8.1-km, six-lane road tunnel connecting the Dwarka Expressway (NH-248BB) with Nelson Mandela Marg in Vasant Kunj, Delhi, at an estimated cost of ₹6,969.67 crore.

The project includes a 6.3-km main carriageway comprising a 3.14-km twin-tube tunnel, 0.98 km of tunnel approach ramps, 2.556 km of elevated sections and 0.87 km of at-grade road. It also features a proposed flyover and an elevated U-turn on the Mahipalpur–Chhatarpur Road.

The twin-tube tunnel will originate from the Shiv Murti interchange on the Dwarka Expressway and terminate near the junction of Nelson Mandela Marg and Mahipalpur–Chhatarpur Road. A 1.98-km section of the tunnel will pass beneath the Southern Ridge Forest, allowing the project to minimise surface disruption and preserve the ecologically sensitive area.

The project will be implemented under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) as part of the National Highways (Original) scheme.

According to the government, the tunnel will significantly improve connectivity between west and south Delhi by linking Urban Extension Road-2 (UER-II) and Dwarka Expressway with Vasant Kunj. It is expected to benefit traffic moving between Gurugram, Dwarka and Indira Gandhi International Airport towards south Delhi.

To reduce congestion at the Nelson Mandela Marg–Mahipalpur–Chhatarpur Road junction, the project also includes a 1.8-km elevated road and an elevated U-turn.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has also proposed an elevated corridor between AIIMS and Mahipalpur, which will connect the tunnel with the Barapullah elevated road, enabling smoother connectivity between west, south, east Delhi and adjoining NCR regions including Ghaziabad and Noida.

The project is expected to generate around 7.54 lakh person-days of direct employment and 9.8 lakh person-days of indirect employment during the construction phase.