The national capital will get one of the country’s widest tunnels, to be built using the tunnel boring machine (TBM), which will provide non-stop connectivity from Nelson Mandela Road in Vasant Kunj to NH-8 near Shiv Murti and also ensure seamless drive up to the New Delhi airport’s Terminal-3.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will invite bids for this twin-tube tunnel by August, sources said.
Out of the total 5-km connectivity project, 4-km stretch will be the tunnel, to be built using the tunnel boring machine (TBM).
“The finished diameter of the tunnel would be 13.8 meter and it will have electro-mechanical, ventilation, fire and safety systems. The tunnel would 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,” said an NHAI official.
The estimated cost of the project is around Rs 2,000 crore and it would be completed in four years from the day work starts.
The tunnel project ends at the upcoming intersection at Shiv Murti on Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway. Officials said those heading towards Gurgaon can take the left turn to join the expressway while others can seamlessly get on to the upcoming Dwarka Expressway to head towards Manesar or Chandigarh. Similarly, vehicles heading towards T-3 can take the right turn from the intersection and reach the airport without stopping anywhere.
The project, which was planned a few years back, aims at reducing the traffic load on the Gurgaon Expressway. Due to quantum jump in traffic in the past one decade vehicles almost crawl on the Expressway during peak hours.
The tunnel project will also decongest Mahipalpur Road, which witnesses huge traffic snarls during the day. Widening of the existing road passing through the village is almost impossible due to heavy settlement.
The proposed tunnel is a green field alignment and passes through the posh locality of Westend Green and across the Rangpuri Ridge. “With the proposed arrangement, no land acquisition vis-a-vis destruction to farmhouses is required. This will also save the trees that were coming in the right of the way of the open highway alignment and would need to be cut for the construction of the highway,” said an official.
The tunnel will pass through the southern ridge, but not through the area marked as protected. It will also pass through some agricultural land in the area. The connectivity will provide direct link from Munirka and Vasant Vihar to Gurgaon Expressway and Dwarka Expressway.
Source : TOI
