The Union Cabinet has approved two major highway infrastructure projects worth a combined ₹14,115 crore to enhance road connectivity in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. The projects include a six-lane tunnel linking the Dwarka Expressway with Nelson Mandela Marg in Delhi and a new access-controlled Kanpur-Kabrai highway in Uttar Pradesh.
Announcing the decision, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the Cabinet has cleared the construction of an 8.1-km six-lane tunnel on NH-148AE connecting the Dwarka Expressway to Nelson Mandela Marg in Vasant Kunj. The project, estimated to cost ₹6,969.67 crore, is expected to be completed within five years under the Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM).
The tunnel is designed to improve connectivity between West and South Delhi while easing traffic movement from Gurugram, Dwarka, IGI Airport and West Delhi towards South Delhi. Around 1.98 km of the tunnel will pass beneath the Southern Ridge Forest, with the underground design aimed at minimising surface disruption and preserving the ecological landscape.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is also planning an elevated corridor between AIIMS and Mahipalpur. Once completed, it will connect the tunnel to the Barapullah elevated road, improving connectivity between West, South and East Delhi, as well as Noida and Ghaziabad.
The Cabinet also approved the construction of a 117.7-km four/six-lane access-controlled Kanpur-Kabrai section of NH-34 in Uttar Pradesh at an estimated cost of ₹7,145.14 crore.
The greenfield highway will serve as a key component of the Bhopal-Kanpur Economic Corridor under the National Highways Programme. It is expected to provide faster travel between Kanpur and Kabrai while strengthening road connectivity to Sagar, Bhopal and other parts of Madhya Pradesh.
The project is also aimed at boosting economic activity by improving transport links between Uttar Pradesh’s industrial hubs and the manufacturing, agricultural and mineral-rich regions of Madhya Pradesh.