The Cabinet has given the nod for a major construction project, which aims to bring ease to Delhi's commuters. A new six-lane road tunnel, which will connect Dwarka Expressway with Nelson Mandela Marg in Vasant Kunj, will be constructed over the next five years.A new six-lane road tunnel, which will connect Dwarka Expressway with Nelson Mandela Marg in Vasant Kunj, will be constructed over the next five years. (HT Archive)As per the announcement made by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the 8.1-km road tunnel for NH-148AE will be constructed through the hybrid annuity mode (HAM), and the project is expected to be completed in five years."The first project is the 2-lane Dwarka tunnel. This will prove to be a huge boon for Delhi. This 8-kms tunnel addresses a long-standing demand... As per the detailed map: starting from the Shiv Murti interchange, going to Vasant Kunj, then Nelson Mandela Marg, and continuing to the elevated corridor near the Barapullah drain towards the DND Flyway - this will become a completely new corridor," said Vaishnaw.Also Read | A first step towards protecting the RidgeThe union minister added that the tunnel will be constructed underneath the Ridge, so that no disturbance is caused to the ecologically sensitive area."All work must be done without disturbing the Ridge. This Ridge is, in a way, the lungs of Delhi. Therefore, the tunnel must be taken from underneath it without disturbing it at all," Vaishnaw told reporters.How will the route impact commuters?The project will provide a direct link between the Urban Extension Road-II (UER-II)-Dwarka Expressway corridor and South Delhi, and will improve connectivity for traffic from Gurugram, Dwarka, the Indira Gandhi International Airport and West Delhi.As per an official statement from the government, the tunnel will eventually connect to the proposed AIIMS-Mahipalpur elevated corridor, providing seamless access to the Barapullah elevated road, linking West, South, and East Delhi, as well as Ghaziabad and Noida.The government added that an elevated 1.8-km road will also be proposed along Nelson Mandela Marg to address congestion at the intersection.According to the government, this project is expected to generate about 7.54 lakh person-days of direct employment and 9.8 lakh person-days of indirect employment during construction.(With inputs from HT's Soumya Chatterjee)