Delhi Commuters, Rejoice! Cabinet Approves Mega Rs 6,970-Crore Road Tunnel Linking Key Corridors

In a massive win for the capital’s daily commuters, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has officially greenlit a game-changing Rs 6,969.67-crore infrastructure project: a massive six-lane road tunnel directly connecting the Dwarka Expressway with Nelson Mandela Marg in Vasant Kunj.

The 8.1-km-long engineering marvel (designated as NH-148AE) is specifically designed to bypass Delhi's most notoriously gridlocked bottlenecks. Taking off from the Shivmurti Interchange, it will plunge underground to seamlessly link up with South Delhi.

What does this mean for you? If you regularly commute from Gurugram, Dwarka, West Delhi, or Indira Gandhi International Airport toward the tech and commercial hubs of South Delhi, your daily commute is about to get significantly shorter, smoother, and completely stress-free.

The project is far more than just a standard underpass. It represents a highly advanced infrastructure upgrade built under the Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM). Here is exactly what the project entails.

1. The Twin-Tube Underground Tunnel: 

A 3.14-km subterranean stretch that will be drilled using state-of-the-art Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs). 

To protect the environment, a 1.98-km section of this tunnel will run deep beneath the ecologically sensitive Southern Ridge Forest, minimising surface disruption.

2. Nelson Mandela Marg Elevated Corridor: 

A new 1.8-km elevated road will be built right along Nelson Mandela Marg to prevent any bottlenecking as cars exit the tunnel.

3. Junction Easing Upgrades: 

To totally clear up the chaotic Mahipalpur-Chhatarpur intersection, the project includes an additional flyover toward Mahipalpur and a specialised elevated U-turn to handle right-turning traffic.

This new tunnel isn't stopping at Vasant Kunj. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is also planning an elevated corridor between AIIMS and Mahipalpur. 

Once complete, this will seamlessly connect the tunnel to the Barapullah Elevated Road, effectively forging a rapid transit highway linking West Delhi, South Delhi, East Delhi, Ghaziabad, and Noida.

Beyond rescuing lakhs of drivers from daily traffic fatigue, the project is a massive economic driver. 

The government estimates that construction will generate roughly 7.54 lakh person-days of direct employment and nearly 9.8 lakh person-days of indirect work.

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