Cabinet Approves ₹14,115 Crore Delhi Tunnel & Kanpur-Kabrai Highway 2026 | Facts & MCQs

🚇 Delhi Tunnel on NH-148AE

The Delhi project covers an 8.1-km six-lane road tunnel on NH-148AE connecting Dwarka Expressway with Nelson Mandela Marg in Vasant Kunj, at an estimated cost of ₹6,969.67 crore. It will be built under the Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) with a completion period of about five years.

• 8.1-km six-lane tunnel on NH-148AE, cost ₹6,969.67 crore.
• Connects Dwarka Expressway to Nelson Mandela Marg (Vasant Kunj).
• Includes a 3.14-km twin-tube section beneath the Southern Ridge Forest.
• Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) technology to be used in that section.

🛣️ Kanpur-Kabrai Greenfield Highway

The second project is the 117.7-km Kanpur-Kabrai Greenfield Highway in Uttar Pradesh — a four/six-lane access-controlled highway costing ₹7,145.14 crore. It forms part of the Bhopal-Kanpur Economic Corridor and will be built by the NHAI under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) toll model.

• 117.7-km access-controlled highway, cost ₹7,145.14 crore.
• Part of the Bhopal-Kanpur Economic Corridor.
• Implemented by NHAI under the BOT toll model.
• Cuts Kanpur–Kabrai travel time from ~3.5 hours to ~1.5 hours.

👷 Project Features & Employment

The Delhi tunnel is expected to generate about 7.54 lakh person-days of direct and 9.80 lakh person-days of indirect employment, while the Kanpur-Kabrai highway is projected to create nearly 1.2 crore person-days of direct and indirect employment. The Delhi tunnel eases traffic from Gurugram, Dwarka and IGI Airport.

📌 Key Points (Important Facts for Exams)

🎯 Conclusion

These two approvals boost India’s road infrastructure — easing congestion around Delhi and improving connectivity along the Bhopal-Kanpur Economic Corridor — while generating large-scale employment through the HAM and BOT delivery models.

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