The Union Cabinet has approved a ₹6,969.67-crore tunnel connecting Dwarka Expressway to Vasant Kunj
July 1, 2026: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday 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 ₹6,969.67 crore. The project, which will be developed under the hybrid annuity mode (HAM), is expected to be completed in five years. The tunnel will pass beneath Delhi’s Southern Ridge using Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) technology to minimise environmental impact. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said protecting the ecologically sensitive Ridge remained a key priority and that detailed studies had been conducted to ensure the project would not affect the area’s geology or ecosystem.
The tunnel will improve connectivity between the Urban Extension Road-II (UER-II)-Dwarka Expressway corridor and South Delhi, benefiting commuters travelling from Gurugram, Dwarka, Indira Gandhi International Airport and West Delhi. The project includes a 3.14-km twin-tube underground tunnel, approach roads, elevated sections and ramps. It also features a 1.8-km elevated road along Nelson Mandela Marg, an additional flyover and an elevated U-turn to reduce congestion at the Mahipalpur-Chhatarpur Road intersection.
The Cabinet also approved the construction of the 117.7-km Kanpur-Kabrai section of National Highway-34 in Uttar Pradesh at a cost of ₹7,145.14 crore. The four-lane access-controlled greenfield highway will be built under the build-operate-transfer (toll) model as part of the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan. Designed for future expansion to six lanes, the highway is expected to reduce travel time between Kanpur and Kabrai from nearly three-and-a-half hours to around one-and-a-half hours while boosting connectivity to Bundelkhand’s industrial, agricultural and logistics hubs.