The Cabinet has given its nod to a major construction project aimed at facilitating passenger movement in Delhi. A new six-lane road tunnel, which will connect the Dwarka Expressway with Nelson Mandela Marg in Vasant Kunj, will be constructed over the next five years.
As per the announcement by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnao, the 8.1 km long road tunnel of NH-148AE will be constructed through Hybrid Ascension Mode (HAM) and the project is expected to be completed within five years.
“The first project is the two-lane Dwarka Tunnel. This will prove to be a huge boon for Delhi. This 8 km long tunnel fulfills a long-standing demand… As per the detailed map: starting from Shiv Murti junction, going to Vasant Kunj, then Nelson Mandela Marg, continuing on the elevated corridor near Barabulla drain towards DND flight path – this will become a completely new corridor,” Vaishnau said.
Read also | A first step towards protecting the ridge
The union minister added that the tunnel will be constructed under the hills, so as not to cause any disturbance to the environmentally sensitive area.
“All the work has to be done without disturbing the hill. This hill is, in a way, the lungs of Delhi. Therefore, the tunnel must be taken from under it without disturbing it at all,” Vaishnau told reporters.
How will the route affect passengers?
The project will provide a direct link between the Urban Extension Road-II (UER-II)-Dwarka Expressway corridor and South Delhi, and will improve connectivity for traffic from Gurugram, Dwarka, Indira Gandhi International Airport and West Delhi.
According to an official release from the government, the tunnel will eventually connect to the proposed AIIMS-Mahipalpur elevated corridor, providing seamless access to the Barapulla elevated corridor, which connects west, south and east Delhi, as well as Ghaziabad and Noida.
The government added that a 1.8km elevated road would also be proposed along Nelson Mandela Marg to address congestion at the intersection.
According to the government, this project is expected to generate around 7.54 lakh man-days per person from direct employment and 9.8 lakh man-days per person from indirect employment during construction.
(With inputs from HT’s Soumya Chatterjee)
