Every day, lakhs of people criss-cross the capital for work, education and business, and to ease that crush of traffic the government is moving quickly on a major road-and-tunnel project. Once finished, travel between south and west Delhi will become faster, signal-free and far less prone to jams, while getting to and from the Delhi-Gurugram Expressway and the Dwarka Expressway will be much smoother.
The central government may soon take a big decision on this ambitious project, valued at around ₹7,000 crore. Under the plan, a state-of-the-art tunnel and connecting roads will be built to link Nelson Mandela Marg in Vasant Kunj with the Shiv Murti interchange on the Delhi-Gurugram Expressway. Along with the tunnel, the project will include flyovers, an elevated U-turn and approach roads, making access to Terminal-3 of IGI Airport, Gurugram and the Dwarka Expressway considerably easier.
A Plan Stuck for Five Years Is Now at a Decisive Stage
The project has been under consideration for more than five years and is now seen to be in its final stretch. The Public-Private Partnership Appraisal Committee (PPPAC), the apex body that evaluates projects with private investment, has already recommended it. It can now be placed before the Union Cabinet for final approval.
A 6-Lane Tunnel as a New Connectivity Corridor
In its presentation to the PPPAC, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) explained that a 6-lane tunnel will run from Nelson Mandela Marg to the Shiv Murti interchange. The tunnel will become a new high-speed link between west and south Delhi. Its biggest benefit will be that traffic moving to and from the Unified Access Road-II (UER-II) and the Dwarka Expressway will connect directly with Vasant Kunj and south Delhi. Vehicles heading from Gurugram and IGI Airport towards south Delhi will also get major relief.
Traffic Set to More Than Triple by 2053
NHAI has also presented a detailed traffic forecast for this corridor. According to it, the stretch currently carries a load of about 38,015 passenger car units (PCU) per day, which could rise to roughly 1.3 lakh PCU per day by 2053. That is why the project is being seen not just as a fix for today's problem, but as preparation to strengthen Delhi's transport network for decades to come.
Not Just a Tunnel, but an Elevated Corridor Too
The project will not be limited to an underground link. According to NHAI, a six-lane elevated corridor is also proposed beyond the tunnel's exit point towards Nelson Mandela Marg. This corridor will pass overhead near the DDA office close to the Mahipalpur-Chhatarpur crossing, then cross the intersection of Vasant Kunj's B and C blocks (B-10 market) and end near Ambience Mall. This will give traffic from Vasant Kunj, Chhatarpur and nearby areas a new, faster route towards the airport, Dwarka and Gurugram.
The Link Will Reach AIIMS as Well
Preparations are also underway to tie another major road link into this project. According to officials, a plan for a six-lane elevated corridor from AIIMS to Nelson Mandela Road is being finalised. This corridor will begin from the point where the Barapullah elevated road ends. If this plan too is approved on time, passengers coming from the Gurugram Expressway and Dwarka Expressway will get seamless connectivity up to AIIMS, Sarai Kale Khan and east Delhi. Officials say the alignment from AIIMS to Nelson Mandela Road will be finalised soon and sent for approval.
Every Direction of Traffic Taken Into Account
The plan also includes some additional structures designed around the needs of vehicles coming and going in different directions. For traffic moving from Chhatarpur towards Mahipalpur, a new two-lane flyover will be built parallel to the existing two-lane elevated section. In addition, an elevated U-turn is proposed for vehicles exiting the tunnel and turning towards Chhatarpur. This will spread the traffic load across different directions and reduce bottlenecks at intersections. The entire project has been designed so that vehicle movement across the area stays smooth for many decades to come. The proposed road network, including the AIIMS link, is expected to be ready by the time the tunnel project is completed.
