Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw speaks during a cabinet briefing at National Media Center, in New Delhi on July 1, 2026
| Photo Credit: ANI
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday (July 1, 2026) approved the construction of an 8.1-km, six-lane road tunnel connecting the Dwarka Expressway with Nelson Mandela Marg in Vasant Kunj at an estimated cost of nearly ₹7,000 crore. The project is aimed at significantly reducing travel time between west and south Delhi while easing congestion around the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport.
The project, approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will be developed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) at a cost of ₹6,969.67 crore under the Hybrid Annuity Model.
The six-lane corridor will connect the Dwarka Expressway and the Urban Extension Road-II with Nelson Mandela Marg in Vasant Kunj, providing a direct link for traffic from Gurugram, Dwarka, IGI Airport, and west Delhi towards south Delhi.
According to the government, the project has been designed to minimise environmental impact, with a 3.14-km twin-tube tunnel passing beneath the southern Ridge using Tunnel Boring Machine technology. Around 1.98 km of the tunnel alignment runs below the Ridge, helping preserve the ecologically sensitive forest area while avoiding major surface disruption.
The tunnel will originate at the Shiv Murti interchange and emerge before the intersection of Nelson Mandela Marg and Mahipalpur-Chhatarpur Road.
To address congestion at the busy Nelson Mandela Marg junction, the project also includes a 1.8-km elevated corridor, an additional flyover from Chhatarpur towards Mahipalpur, and an elevated U-turn to facilitate smoother traffic movement.
The total project length is 8.1 km, which includes a 6.3-km main carriageway. The 8.1-km stretch comprises 3.14 km of tunnel, 980 metres of tunnel approach ramps, 554 metres of reinforced earth wall approaches, 2.556 km of elevated corridor, and 870 metres of at-grade road.
The government said the tunnel will complement NHAI’s proposed elevated corridor between AIIMS and Mahipalpur, which will connect with the Barapullah elevated road.
Once completed, the combined network is expected to improve connectivity between west, south, and east Delhi while also providing seamless access to Ghaziabad and Noida.
Published – July 01, 2026 09:51 pm IST
