The 5.1 km long tunnel has two segments.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Friday began the trial run for tunnels and underpasses across the Delhi section of the Dwarka Expressway. The tunnel connects the expressway to the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI). It is aimed at decongesting the Delhi-Gurugram section of National Highway (NH) 48.
What to know?
The 5.1 km long tunnel has two segments. The main 3.6 km eight-lane tunnel connects the Dwarka Expressway to IGI airport, according to The Times of India.
The other one is a 1.5 km tunnel, which has two lanes, and links the expressway to NH-48 towards Gurugram.
The tunnel, for now, has been opened for a trial run from noon to 3 PM to manage peak afternoon traffic.
This is a significant step toward enhancing mobility and reducing congestion in Delhi NCR, besides improving connectivity to the IGI Airport from Gurugram, Manesar, Sohna, and Jaipur.
According to the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, the stretch open for the trial run includes a shallow tunnel connecting Dwarka/Yashobhumi with the Delhi Airport through airport underpasses.
Commuters can even travel towards Gurugram from Dwarka/Yashobhumi using the shallow tunnel and right-turn underpass.
Besides this, the airport underpasses and the right turn underpass will be used to travel from Terminal 3 to Gurugram towards Sirhaul.
Once the trial is over, the tunnel is expected to be fully operational from June 5.
Its strategic location and layout could be highly beneficial for daily commuters and help decongest the surface roads.
Safety measures
Built with the help of advanced engineering, the tunnel has CCTV surveillance to keep track of vehicular movement.
There is a dedicated control room as well as emergency exits to ensure commuter safety and efficiency.
Through the trial period, the NHAI is monitoring traffic patterns to provide seamless integration into the city's transport network.
What is allowed?
For now, vehicles up to 4.5 meters are allowed to enter the tunnel.
The entry of slow-moving vehicles, such as two-wheelers, and three-wheelers as well as vehicles carrying flammable materials such as oil tankers, are restricted from entering the tunnel and underpasses.
The project is part of the Dwarka Expressway's fourth phase.
The 29 km-long Dwarka Expressway, which costs about Rs 9,000 crore, is from Delhi's Mahipalpur to Kherki Daula in Gurugram. While 10.1 km of it lies in the national capital, the remaining 18.9 km stretch is in Haryana.
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