{"id":1089176,"date":"2026-07-08T13:06:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T07:36:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squareyards.com\/blog\/?p=1089176"},"modified":"2026-07-08T13:06:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T07:36:16","slug":"center-clears-rs-6969-67-crore-road-project-connecting-dwarka-expressway-with-vasant-kunj","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.squareyards.com\/blog\/center-clears-rs-6969-67-crore-road-project-connecting-dwarka-expressway-with-vasant-kunj","title":{"rendered":"Center clears Rs 6,969.67 crore road project connecting Dwarka Expressway with Vasant Kunj"},"content":{"rendered":"

The construction of an 8.1 km six-lane road project connecting the Dwarka Expressway with Nelson Mandela Marg in Vasant Kunj has been approved by the Center at an estimated cost of Rs 6,969.67 crore. Cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), the project will be developed under the Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) as part of the National Highways (Original) program and is expected to be completed within five years.<\/span><\/p>\n

The proposed corridor comprises a 3.1 km underground tunnel beneath the Southern Ridge, along with elevated stretches, at grade road sections and interchanges. This will create a direct link between West Delhi and South Delhi. The alignment will begin from the Shiv Murti interchange on the Dwarka Expressway near the Indira Gandhi International Airport and connect to Nelson Mandela Marg in Vasant Kunj, further improving access towards key destinations in South Delhi.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why was the Dwarka Expressway-Vasant Kunj road project needed?\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

The proposed corridor addresses one of the biggest missing links in Delhi’s road network by creating a direct connection between the Dwarka Expressway and South Delhi. At present, commuters traveling from Dwarka, Gurugram, West Delhi and the Indira Gandhi International Airport towards Vasant Kunj and neighboring areas rely on congested routes through Mahipalpur and Rangpuri, where traffic movement slows considerably during peak hours. With limited scope for road widening due to dense urban development, these bottlenecks have remained a persistent challenge for daily commuters.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the government, the new six-lane corridor has been planned to ease congestion along the Mahipalpur, Rangpuri and Dhaula Kuan stretches while offering a faster route towards South Delhi. The alignment has also been designed to improve connectivity between Urban Extension Road II, Dwarka Expressway and Nelson Mandela Marg. This will make travel more seamless across major residential, commercial and airport corridors in the capital.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond reducing travel delays, the project fills a long-standing infrastructure gap by providing an alternative to heavily used roads. Once completed, it is expected to distribute traffic more efficiently across the network, reducing pressure on existing junctions. Connectivity between West and South Delhi will be improved without disturbing the ecologically sensitive Southern Ridge Forest.<\/span><\/p>\n

Approved corridor to feature tunnel, elevated roads and flyovers\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

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The project combines underground, elevated and at grade infrastructure to minimize surface disruption while improving traffic movement across one of Delhi’s busiest corridors. According to the government, the alignment has been planned to preserve the Southern Ridge while integrating with future transport projects proposed in the capital.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The 8.1 km road project will combine an underground tunnel, elevated roads and surface stretches to create a direct six lane link between the Dwarka Expressway and Vasant Kunj. Its biggest highlight is a 3.14 km tunnel, which will pass beneath the Southern Ridge, helping vehicles avoid one of Delhi’s busiest traffic zones without affecting the protected forest above.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The remaining route will include elevated roads, approach ramps and surface roads to ensure smooth traffic movement from one end of the corridor to the other. The government has also proposed a flyover connecting Chhatarpur and Mahipalpur, an elevated road along Nelson Mandela Marg and a dedicated U-turn for vehicles heading towards Chhatarpur. Once completed, the new corridor is expected to work alongside other planned road projects in Delhi, creating a more seamless road network for commuters traveling across the city.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What will this corridor change and why does it matter?<\/b><\/h2>\n

New residential projects, commercial developments and supporting infrastructure are taking shape on both sides of the Delhi and Gurugram border. As development gathered pace, the need for a more direct connection with South Delhi also became increasingly important.<\/span><\/p>\n

The project adds another layer of infrastructure support to the Dwarka Expressway corridor, where residential and mixed-use developments have expanded rapidly in recent years. While the approval alone is unlikely to alter market dynamics immediately, improved road infrastructure can strengthen the long-term appeal of nearby residential areas by making them better integrated with the wider Delhi road network.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At present, a large share of traffic traveling between the Dwarka Expressway, the Indira Gandhi International Airport and South Delhi passes through busy junctions such as Mahipalpur. The new corridor is expected to distribute traffic across an additional route, supporting smoother movement as the region continues to expand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

NHAI to take up project execution\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

With the Cabinet’s approval in place, the project will now move towards implementation under the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) through the Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM). The next stages will include awarding construction contracts, securing the remaining statutory clearances, and beginning work on the corridor. According to the Center, the project is expected to be completed within five years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond strengthening Delhi’s transport infrastructure, the project is also expected to create substantial employment during its construction phase. The government estimates that every lane kilometer of a National Highway generates an average of 264 person-days of direct employment and 55 person-days of indirect employment. Based on these estimates, the Dwarka Expressway\u2013Vasant Kunj corridor is expected to generate nearly 7.54 lakh person-days of direct employment and around 9.80 lakh person-days of indirect employment. The Center has also said that the project is likely to create additional job opportunities as economic activity picks up around the corridor during and after construction.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The construction of an 8.1 km six-lane road project connecting the Dwarka Expressway with Nelson Mandela Marg in Vasant Kunj has been approved by the Center at an estimated cost of Rs 6,969.67 crore. Cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), the project will be developed under the Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":1089181,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29381],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squareyards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1089176"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squareyards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squareyards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squareyards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/132"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squareyards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1089176"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.squareyards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1089176\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1089183,"href":"https:\/\/www.squareyards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1089176\/revisions\/1089183"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squareyards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1089181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squareyards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1089176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squareyards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1089176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}