Big Relief For Commuters: Rs 6,969 Crore Delhi Tunnel Project Gets Major Green Light

The Centre has cleared a major road tunnel project in Delhi that aims to cut travel time between Dwarka, west Delhi, south Delhi and the airport belt. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the 8.1-km six-lane corridor at an estimated cost of Rs 6,969.67 crore.

The project will directly connect the Dwarka Expressway, also known as NH-248 BB, with Nelson Mandela Marg in Vasant Kunj. It is being positioned as a key link for commuters moving between Dwarka, Gurugram, Indira Gandhi International Airport, Vasant Kunj and other parts of south Delhi.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta welcomed the approval and thanked the Prime Minister for what she described as a long-pending connectivity project. In a post on X, she said the corridor would improve movement from Shiv Murti towards Vasant Kunj, Nelson Mandela Marg and further towards the Barapullah corridor and DND.

What the Delhi tunnel project will connect

The corridor will start from the Shiv Murti interchange near the Dwarka Expressway and end before the junction of Nelson Mandela Marg and the Mahipalpur-Chhatarpur road. This alignment is important because it links two busy urban zones without forcing traffic through several existing choke points.

At present, vehicles moving between west Delhi, the airport side and south Delhi often depend on crowded surface roads around Mahipalpur, Vasant Kunj and adjoining areas. The new corridor is expected to provide a faster route for daily commuters, airport users, business travellers and logistics traffic.

The larger connectivity plan also includes a future link with the Barapullah elevated road. If integrated as planned, the corridor could help vehicles move more smoothly towards east Delhi, Noida and Ghaziabad through the DND side, reducing dependence on longer and more congested routes.

Why the Ridge section matters

The most sensitive part of the project is the tunnel section under the Delhi Ridge. According to project details, a 3.14-km twin-tube tunnel will be built using tunnel boring machine technology. Around 1.98 km of this stretch will pass below the Ridge area.

This method is significant because the Ridge is one of Delhi’s most important green zones. It is often described as the city’s green lung and plays a role in supporting biodiversity, improving air quality and protecting the local ecological balance. Surface-level construction in such areas usually raises environmental concerns.

The use of tunnel boring machines is intended to reduce disruption above ground. Unlike open-cut construction, this approach allows tunnelling below the surface while keeping the landscape and natural structure largely undisturbed. The government has said the project will be built without damaging the greenery of the South Ridge.

Gupta also underlined this point while welcoming the decision. She said the tunnel would pass below the Ridge, but there would be no compromise with the protection of Delhi’s green areas. That assurance will be closely watched as the project moves into execution.

Key features of the corridor

The approved project includes more than just the underground tunnel. The full road package comprises a 6.3-km main road, a 3.14-km tunnel, a 0.98-km tunnel approach, a 2.556-km elevated road and a 0.87-km ground-level road section.

To ease traffic near Nelson Mandela Marg, the plan includes a 1.8-km elevated corridor. A new flyover towards Mahipalpur is also part of the design. For vehicles heading towards Chhatarpur, an elevated U-turn has been proposed to improve traffic circulation and reduce conflict points at busy junctions.

For commuters, the most visible benefit would be reduced pressure on existing roads around Mahipalpur, Rangpuri, Vasant Kunj and airport-side approaches. These stretches often see mixed traffic from residential areas, airport movement, office commuters and vehicles heading towards Gurugram.

The project is also expected to support economic activity around the corridor. The government estimates that construction could generate about 7.54 lakh direct person-days of employment and 9.80 lakh indirect person-days of employment. Better road access may also help logistics, warehousing and commercial activity in nearby areas.

The approval comes at a time when Delhi’s road network is under rising pressure from airport expansion, growth in Gurugram-bound traffic and rapid development along the Dwarka Expressway. A direct link to Vasant Kunj could become a strategic connector if executed with proper traffic integration and environmental safeguards.

The next stages will determine when construction begins, how traffic diversions are managed and how environmental protections are monitored. For now, the clearance gives Delhi a formal go-ahead for one of its most important proposed road links between the western and southern parts of the capital.