Delhi will soon get its very own one of the widest tunnels in the country. The tunnel boring machine will help in providing strong connectivity without any hassle from Nelson Mandela Road in Vasant Kunj to NH-8 near Shiv Murti on Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway. The new tunnel will also include a drive up to New Delhi’s airport Terminal – 3. Bids for the new twin-tube will be invited by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) by August.
The length of the twin-tube is approximately 5 km in length. It is three metre-wide twin tubes. The tunnel will cross-passage every 500 metres and laybys at 750 metres. It will take at least four years to be completed and it will cost approximately Rs 2,000 crore.
As per the NHAI officials, “The finished diameter of the tunnel would be 13.8 meter and it will have electro-mechanical, ventilation, fire and safety systems. The tunnel will be of twin-tube configuration and each tunnel will have three lanes. One tunnel will be used for up and the other for down traffic. There will be cross passages and laybys at every 500 and 750 meters respectively.”
According to the officials, people who are visiting Gurgaon can take the left turn to join the expressway. People who are heading to Manesar or Chandigarh can take Dwarka Expressway. For people heading to the airport Terminal 3, they can continue on the same road, take a right turn from the intersection and go straight.
The tunnel was constructed to reduce congestion caused due to traffic on the Gurgaon Expressway.
The new tunnel will go via agricultural land and the southern ridge. It will also be beneficial as it connects other Expressways like Munirka and Vasant Vihar to Gurgaon Expressway and Dwarka Expressway.
