3 min readNew DelhiJul 3, 2026 04:14 PM IST
First published on: Jul 1, 2026 at 05:18 PM IST
To decongest a part of New Delhi, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the construction of an 8.1-km, six-lane road-tunnel project — comprising a 3.1-km tunnel and a highway — on NH-148AE connecting the Shiv Murti interchange on Dwarka Expressway, next to Indira Gandhi International Airport, with Nelson Mandela Marg in Vasant Kunj that further connects to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
The Rs 6,970-crore road-tunnel project will be developed in a hybrid annuity mode — where the government shares part of the cost with a private party, which earns returns through annuity payments later — and is expected to be completed in five years, officials said.
A 1.98-km-long tunnel will be constructed beneath the Southern Ridge Forest.
“There has been a demand for this project for a long time. The ridge area in this section will not be disturbed at all, and the tunnel will pass under it. The project will be a new artery of Delhi,” said Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Ashwini Vaishnaw, while announcing the Cabinet decision.
Vaishnaw further said a detailed geo-technical study and environmental impact assessment was conducted. “A tunnel-boring machine will be used for tunnelling under the ridge. It will be similar to the undersea tunnel to be constructed in Mumbai as part of the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project,” he said.
The road connecting Mahipalpur and Vasant Kunj is oversaturated, and there is no scope for widening, officials said. This stretch sees heavy traffic jams, even during the lean hours.
The project will help in decongesting the Dhaula Kuan-IGI Airport, Chhatarpur-Mahipalpur, and Rangpuri bottlenecks. Along with this, vehicles coming from Gurgaon, Dwarka, IGI Airport, and West Delhi towards South Delhi will see a reduction in traffic jams, officials said.
Officials added that about 37,000 vehicles will benefit daily after the completion of the project.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X: “Our government is committed to making connectivity in Delhi even more seamless and world-class. In this direction, approval has been granted for the construction of a 6-lane tunnel connecting the Dwarka Expressway to Vasant Kunj. 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.”
Nod to highway to Bundelkhand
The Cabinet also approved a four-lane highway from Kanpur to Kabrai in Uttar Pradesh’s Mahoba district that will enhance connectivity in the Bundelkhand region. The 242-km project is part of the Kanpur-Bhopal Economic Corridor and it will be constructed in 2.5 years.
The Rs 7,145 crore project will reduce the travel time between Kanpur and Kabrai from 3.5 hours to 1.5 hours and will be designed for a speed range of 80-100 kmph.
The highway will traverse the districts of Kanpur, Hamirpur, and Mahoba. It will be developed under the ‘build, operate, and transfer’ mode, officials said.
Kabrai is a major hub for aggregate mining and supplies materials to Kanpur and Bhopal.
Officials said the existing road in the region needs an upgrade. It will also ensure decongestion in Kanpur, Ghatampur, Hamirpur, and Kabrai, officials said.
The tunnel will help in decongesting the Dhaula-Kuan-IGI Airport, Chhatarpur-Mahipalpur, and Rangpuri bottlenecks in New Delhi. 
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