The Union Cabinet has approved the construction of a 6-lane, 8.1-km road tunnel worth ₹6,969.67 crore to improve connectivity in Delhi. The tunnel will connect Dwarka Expressway (NH-148AE, UER 2/Dwarka Expressway) to the Nelson Mandela Marg at Vasant Kunj (South Delhi), aiming to provide faster links between West and South Delhi. Officials say it is expected to help ease traffic pressure from routes including Gurugram, Dwarka, and the IGI Airport corridor toward South Delhi.
Under the approved plan, the tunnel is to be built through hybrid annuity mode (HAM) and is scheduled for completion in about five years. A portion of the alignment, described as 1.98 km, runs beneath the Southern Ridge Forest, with a twin-tube underground design intended to minimise surface disruption. The project uses tunnel boring machine (TBM) technology.
To address congestion at the Nelson Mandela Marg and Mahipalpur Chhatarpur Road intersection, related elevated works are proposed, including an elevated 1.8-km road segment, an additional flyover, and an elevated U-turn. The project also estimates employment generation through direct and indirect person-days.
