Proposed Rs 7000 crore tunnel to link Vasant Kunj and Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway
The Union Cabinet is expected to approve a proposed Rs 7,000-crore infrastructure project featuring a six-lane tunnel between Vasant Kunj and the Shiv Murti interchange on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway.
The project, which has been under consideration by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for more than five years, aims to provide a signal-free route and ease severe traffic congestion on the heavily choked Mahipalpur stretch.
The six-lane tunnel will connect Nelson Mandela Marg in Vasant Kunj with the Shiv Murti interchange, establishing a faster route between south and west Delhi. According to the NHAI, the project will also link Urban Extension Road-II (UER-II) and the Dwarka Expressway with Vasant Kunj, benefiting commuters traveling between these corridors, Gurgaon, and the airport.
In addition to the tunnel, the plan features a two-lane flyover for vehicles traveling from Chhatarpur toward Mahipalpur, running parallel to an existing elevated stretch. An elevated U-turn is also planned for vehicles exiting the tunnel and heading toward Chhatarpur to manage multi-directional traffic flow.
Beyond the tunnel exit on the Nelson Mandela Marg side, a six-lane elevated corridor has been proposed. This structure will cross the Mahipalpur-Chhatarpur intersection near the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) office, pass over the B and C Block junction in Vasant Kunj, and terminate near Ambience Mall.
NHAI estimates that the construction of the tunnel will take approximately five years. The project requires a customized tunnel boring machine measuring about 13 meters by 6 meters. Manufacturing and delivering this machine alone is expected to take 18 months, while the actual tunnel construction will take around 3.5 years.
Officials also noted that plans are being finalized for another six-lane elevated corridor connecting AIIMS, where the Barapulla elevated road ends, to Nelson Mandela Road, further improving connectivity to East Delhi and Sarai Kale Khan.
