The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved two major highway projects that together entail an investment of over ₹14,100 crore and are expected to significantly improve connectivity, reduce travel times and spur economic activity in key regions.
In the first project, the Cabinet cleared the construction of a 6-lane road tunnel for NH-148AE linking the Dwarka Expressway (NH 248 BB) with Nelson Mandela Marg in Vasant Kunj, Delhi. The total project length stands at 8.1 km, including a 3.14 km twin-tube tunnel to be built using Tunnel Boring Machines, approach ramps, elevated sections and at-grade roads, at a total capital cost of ₹6,969.67 crore. The project will be executed on Hybrid Annuity Mode under the National Highways (Original) scheme.
Designed to provide faster connectivity between West and South Delhi, the tunnel will benefit traffic from Gurugram, Dwarka, IGI Airport and other parts of West Delhi heading towards South Delhi. The underground alignment, which passes beneath the Southern Ridge Forest for about 1.98 km, will minimise surface disruption and help preserve the ecologically sensitive area. The tunnel will integrate with the proposed Barapullah elevated road, thereby extending connectivity to East Delhi, Ghaziabad and Noida.
To ease congestion at critical junctions, the project also includes an elevated corridor along Nelson Mandela Marg, a flyover from Chhatarpur towards Mahipalpur and an elevated U-turn facility. Length of the Main Carriageway is 6.3 Km, but including the proposed flyover and elevated U Turn along Mahipalpur Chhatarpur Road, the total project length is 8.1 km. Apart from the 3.140 km of tunnel, it will have 0.980 km of tunnel approach ramp, 0.554 km Approach with RE Wall, 2.556 Elevated Portion and 0.870 km of at-grade road.
The development is estimated to generate close to 7.54 lakh person-days of direct employment and 9.80 lakh person-days of indirect employment during the construction phase.
In a separate decision, the Cabinet approved the construction of the 117.7 km Kanpur–Kabrai access-controlled greenfield highway on NH-34 in Uttar Pradesh. This four-lane corridor, with structures designed for future six-laning, forms a key segment of the Bhopal–Kanpur Economic Corridor under the National Highways (O) Programme. The total capital cost is ₹7,145.14 crore, and the National Highways Authority of India will implement the project on BOT (Toll) mode, including operation and maintenance of the existing Kanpur–Kabrai section of NH-34.
Once completed, the high-speed corridor, designed for operating speeds of 80–100 kmph, will cut travel time between Kanpur and Kabrai from 3.5 hours to 1.5 hours, a reduction of 58 per cent, while improving road safety, lowering vehicle operating costs and facilitating smoother movement of passenger and freight traffic.
The alignment will strengthen connectivity with NH-34, NH-35, the Bundelkhand Expressway, Kanpur Ring Road and several state highways, while enhancing access to the Kabrai mining belt and supporting the efficient transport of minerals, industrial goods, construction materials and agricultural produce. Aligned with the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, the project will improve linkages to 16 economic nodes, nine social nodes and 10 logistics nodes across Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, including major industrial areas, temples, tourist spots, railway stations and airports such as Kanpur, Chakeri and Khajuraho.
It is projected to generate close to 1.2 crore person-days of direct and indirect employment and is expected to carry an Annual Average Daily Traffic of about 18,069 Passenger Car Units by FY 2028.
