The project will provide faster connectivity between West and South Delhi by linking the Urban Extension Road-II (UER-II) and Dwarka Expressway with Vasant Kunj.
| Photo Credit:
Shahbaz Khan
New Delhi, July 2The Centre has approved two major National Highway projects worth a combined ₹14,115 crore, including a six-lane tunnel connecting the Dwarka Expressway with Vasant Kunj in Delhi and a four-lane access-controlled Greenfield highway between Kanpur and Kabrai in Uttar Pradesh.Accordingly, the projects were approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Wednesday with the objective of improving urban mobility in the national capital and strengthening connectivity along the Bhopal-Kanpur Economic Corridor.The Delhi project, approved at a capital cost of ₹6,969.67 crore, involves the construction of an 8.1-km six-lane tunnel connecting NH-148AE with Nelson Mandela Marg through the Hybrid Annuity Mode under the National Highways (Original) Programme.Notably, the project will provide faster connectivity between West and South Delhi by linking the Urban Extension Road-II (UER-II) and Dwarka Expressway with Vasant Kunj.The corridor is expected to benefit traffic originating from Gurugram, Dwarka, Indira Gandhi International Airport and West Delhi travelling towards South Delhi.The project includes a 3.14-km twin-tube tunnel passing beneath the Southern Ridge Forest, a 1.8-km elevated corridor along Nelson Mandela Marg, an additional flyover towards Mahipalpur, and an elevated U-turn to facilitate traffic movement at the Chhatarpur-Mahipalpur junction.Greenfield highwaySeparately, the Cabinet also approved the construction of the 117.7-km Kanpur-Kabrai Access-Controlled Greenfield Highway at an estimated capital cost of ₹7,145.14 crore.The project will be implemented by the National Highways Authority of India under the Build-Operate-Transfer (Toll) mode, along with the operation and maintenance of the existing Kanpur-Kabrai section of NH-34.Designed as a four-lane corridor with provision for future six-laning, the highway forms part of the Bhopal-Kanpur Economic Corridor and is expected to improve connectivity between Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.Besides, the corridor will reduce travel time between Kanpur and Kabrai from around 3.5 hours to 1.5 hours while improving road safety, reducing vehicle operating costs, and facilitating faster movement of passenger and freight traffic.Furthermore, the highway will provide connectivity with NH-34, NH-35, the Bundelkhand Expressway, Kanpur Ring Road, and several State Highways while improving access to the Kabrai mining belt and supporting the movement of minerals, industrial goods, construction materials, and agricultural produce.Published on July 1, 2026
