Delhi roads get a big boost
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved the construction of a six-lane tunnel worth Rs 6,969.67 crore connecting Nelson Mandela Marg in Vasant Kunj to the Shiv Murti interchange on Dwarka Expressway. The project, comprising a tunnel, flyovers and an elevated U-turn, will ensure seamless connectivity to Terminal 3 and Gurgaon and Dwarka Expressways for traffic travelling from Munirka and Chhattarpur, and vice versa. The proposal for the project has been in the making for more than five years. The 8.1-km road tunnel for NH-148AE will be constructed through Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM), and the project is expected to be completed in five years.
“The six-lane tunnel connecting Nelson Mandela Marg to Shiv Murti interchange would provide faster connectivity between west and south Delhi as it connects Urban Extension Road (UER)-II and Dwarka Expressway in West Delhi with Vasant Kunj in south Delhi. It will also benefit traffic coming from Gurgaon and IGI airport towards south Delhi,” Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said at a press briefing.
The project will provide faster connectivity between West and South Delhi, connecting UER 2/ Dwarka Expressway with Vasant Kunj in South Delhi. Further benefiting traffic from Gurugram, Dwarka, IGI Airport, and West Delhi towards South Delhi.
The NHAI is also proposing Elevated Corridor between AIIMS and Mahipalpur. This link will connect tunnel with Barapullah elevated road thereby connecting West Delhi, South Delhi with East Delhi, Ghaziabad and NOIDA.
The proposed tunnel passes through Rangpuri (Southern Delhi) Ridge and terminates before the intersection of Nelson Mandela Marg and Mahipalpur Chhatarpur Road.
To mitigate congestion at this intersection, an elevated road is also proposed (1.8 Km) along the Nelson Mandela Marg.
An additional flyover from Chhatarpur towards Mahipalpur is also proposed along the existing flyover. For facilitating right-turn traffic from towards Chhatarpur, an elevated U-turn is also proposed.
Length of the Main Carriageway is 6.3 Km. Considering the proposed flyover and elevated U-turn along Mahipalpur Chhatarpur Road, the total project length is 8.100 km, including 3.140 km of tunnel, 0.980 km of tunnel approach ramp, 0.554 km of approach with RE Wall, 2.556 Elevated Portion and 0.870 km of at-grade road.
It has been estimated that the development of each lane-kilometer of a National Highway generates average 264 person-days/ day of direct employment and average 55 person-days/ day of indirect employment. Therefore, the project will generate close to 7.54 lakh person-days of direct employment and 9.80 lakh person-days of indirect employment. The project will also induce additional employment opportunities due to an increase in economic activity in the vicinity of the proposed high-speed corridor.
The NHAI is also planning an elevated corridor between AIIMS and Mahipalpur, which will connect the new tunnel to the Barapullah Elevated Road.
Once completed, the link is expected to provide seamless connectivity between West Delhi, South Delhi, East Delhi, Ghaziabad and Noida, creating a continuous high-speed road network across the National Capital Region.
