NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the construction of a six-lane tunnel connecting Dwarka Expressway at Shiv Murti in Mahipalpur with Nelson Mandela Marg and flyovers in Vasant Kunj.The Rs 6,970-crore project, to be completed in five years, aims to provide faster connectivity between IGI Airport, west and south Delhi, connecting UER-2 with Vasant Kunj in South Delhi.I&B minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the tunnel and flyovers will be linked to the proposed elevated corridor from Nelson Mandela Marg to Barapullah elevated road near AIIMS.
It will be a completely new artery for Delhi and will be a new traffic corridor,” he said. The project passes through 2km of the southern Ridge, which won’t be disturbed, Vaishnaw said. The twin-tube tunnel will minimise surface disruption.In a post on X, PM Modi said, “Our govt is committed to making connectivity in Delhi even more seamless and world-class… This important project will make travel between west and south Delhi faster and more convenient than before. It will also save people a significant amount of time.”Officials said the housing and urban affairs ministry, which will foot the bill for construction of an elevated corridor between AIIMS and Nelson Mandela Marg, has agreed to provide the land for construction of the stretch.On the Nelson Mandela Marg side, a six-lane elevated corridor will be built beyond the tunnel exit.This will go above the Mahipalpur-Chhatarpur intersection near the DDA office and pass over the intersection of B and C Blocks of Vasant Kunj (B-10 market) before terminating near Ambience Mall.The project also includes building a two-lane flyover for traffic coming from Chhatarpur to Mahipalpur, parallel to the existing two-lane elevated stretch. Another elevated U-turn will be built for traffic exiting the tunnel to head towards Chhatarpur.Vaishnaw said that a tunnel boring machine will be used for the construction of the underground stretch.
