Government Approves Major Highway Projects Worth Rs 14,115 Crore in Delhi and UP, Including Rs 6,970 Crore Six-Lane Dwarka Tunnel
NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet has approved two significant highway infrastructure projects totaling Rs 14,114.81 crore. This includes a Rs 6,969.67 crore tunnel project in Delhi designed to alleviate congestion and a Rs 7,145.14 crore greenfield highway corridor in Uttar Pradesh. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sanctioned these initiatives to enhance connectivity, reduce travel times, and stimulate economic activity under the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan.
Delhi Tunnel Project
The Cabinet has greenlit the construction of an 8.1-km, six-lane road tunnel on NH-148AE, linking the Dwarka Expressway with Nelson Mandela Marg in Vasant Kunj, Delhi. This project, estimated to cost Rs 6,969.67 crore, will utilize the Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) of the National Highway (Original) programme. It features a 3.14-km twin-tube tunnel beneath the Southern Ridge, constructed using a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) to minimize surface disruption.
Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that the tunnel is expected to significantly enhance connectivity between West and South Delhi. It will facilitate smoother traffic flow from Gurugram, Dwarka, and Indira Gandhi International Airport towards South Delhi. The project is anticipated to be completed in approximately five years, generating about 7.54 lakh person-days of direct employment and 9.80 lakh person-days of indirect employment.
Kanpur-Kabrai Greenfield Highway
In addition, the Cabinet approved the construction of the 117.7-km, four/six-lane access-controlled Kanpur-Kabrai Greenfield Highway in Uttar Pradesh, with a total capital cost of Rs 7,145.14 crore. This project is part of the Bhopal-Kanpur Economic Corridor under the NH(O) programme and will be executed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) using the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) toll model.
Designed for speeds of 80-100 kmph, the corridor aims to reduce travel time between Kanpur and Kabrai from three-and-a-half hours to just one-and-a-half hours. Vaishnaw indicated that the highway project is likely to be completed within two-and-a-half years, generating nearly 1.2 crore person-days of direct and indirect employment. The corridor is expected to accommodate an annual average daily traffic of about 18,069 passenger car units (PCUs) by FY2028.
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