Cabinet Approves Delhi Tunnel Project and Bundelkhand Highway

The Union Cabinet has approved two major infrastructure projects designed to alleviate traffic congestion and improve economic connectivity. The first is an 8.1-km, six-lane tunnel connecting the Dwarka Expressway to Vasant Kunj in Delhi, aimed at easing traffic near the Indira Gandhi International Airport. The project, costing Rs 6,970 crore, will pass under the southern ridge forest and is expected to be completed within five years.

In a concurrent move, the Cabinet sanctioned a Rs 7,145 crore, four-lane highway connecting Kanpur to Kabrai in Uttar Pradesh. This 242-km project is part of the broader Kanpur-Bhopal economic corridor and seeks to reduce travel time between the two hubs from three and a half hours to just one and a half hours. Officials highlighted that the highway will benefit the Bundelkhand region by facilitating better transport for aggregate mining materials and boosting regional logistics.

Beyond these approvals, the National Highways Authority of India confirmed that a critical 4.89-km, eight-lane tunnel on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is nearing completion in Rajasthan's Kota district. Scheduled for a July-end opening, this tunnel is specifically designed to accommodate wildlife movement in the Mukundra Hills tiger habitat. These developments represent a significant push in national infrastructure spending, with the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway expected to reach an operational length of 912 km by October 2026, drastically reducing travel times across multiple states.