Mumbai, July 6 -- The government approved two major highway infrastructure projects in the Delhi region and in Uttar Pradesh with a combined capital outlay of Rs 140 billion (bn). The approvals were announced by the information and broadcasting minister in New Delhi and cover a long road tunnel in Delhi and an access controlled highway section in Uttar Pradesh.

The Delhi scheme provides for a six-lane road tunnel for NH-148AE linking the Dwarka Expressway with Nelson Mandela Marg at Vasant Kunj. The tunnel will run for eight point one kilometre and is to be developed at a total capital cost of Rs 69.69 billion (bn). An elevated road of one point eight kilometre along Nelson Mandela Marg has been proposed to mitigate congestion at the intersection.

The minister also indicated that the National Highways Authority of India is proposing an elevated corridor between AIIMS and Mahipalpur as part of broader measures to improve flows. The Delhi project is expected to provide faster connectivity between west and south Delhi and to relieve pressure on existing urban routes. It will generate close to 0.754 million (mn) person-days of direct employment and 0.98 million (mn) person-days of indirect employment.

The second approval covers the 117.7 kilometre four/six-lane access controlled Kanpur-Kabrai section of NH-34 in Uttar Pradesh at an estimated capital cost of Rs 71.45 billion (bn). The corridor is designed for operating speeds of 80 to 100 kilometres per hour and will reduce travel time between Kanpur and Kabrai from three and a half hours to one and a half hours. It will strengthen onward links to Sagar, Bhopal and other parts of Madhya Pradesh.

The project will also provide strategic integration with NH-34, NH-35, the Bundelkhand Expressway, the Kanpur Ring Road and several state highways, thereby improving regional highway connectivity. The minister noted that the scheme will generate close to 12 million (mn) person-days of combined direct and indirect employment and is expected to support economic activity along the corridor.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Construction World.