Light at the end? Dwarka tunnel eases traffic, not in rush hours

Gurgaon: The newly opened tunnel on the Delhi side of the Dwarka Expressway is providing much-needed relief to the congested Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, with nearly 60,000 vehicles using it daily. The 3.6km six-lane tunnel, which connects Shiv Murti on NH8 to Dwarka Sector 21, was made operational for a trial run on May 29 — initially open for three hours between 12pm and 3pm. But from Monday, it has opened round the clock, allowing unrestricted movement through both the main tunnel and the 1.5km two-lane connector that links Dwarka Expressway to NH8 towards Gurgaon.While NH8 still handles over 3 lakh passenger car units (PCUs) at Sirhaul toll plaza every day, the opening of the tunnel is helping redistribute traffic and easing pressure at some of its worst choke points — Mahipalpur, Rangpuri and Rajokri — offering relief, albeit limited, for commuters during non-peak hours, according to National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The rerouting of 60,000 vehicles daily — primarily local and airport-bound traffic — is already shifting traffic flows, reducing the load on Gurgaon-Delhi Expressway at choke points where multiple streams used to converge. According to NHAI, Dwarka Expressway corridor now handles over 1 lakh PCUs daily. The Haryana section of the road, operational since last year, connects to Kherki Daula, making it a viable alternative for residents of sectors 81–115 and adjoining areas. NHAI said the 60,000 daily PCU count includes only tunnel traffic. Many heavy vehicles and those using surface roads and service lanes are yet to be accounted for.Before the tunnel opened, vehicles from Gurgaon via Dwarka Expressway, Kapashera and Dwarka inflow all converged at Shiv Murti, creating a bottleneck. Additionally, traffic moving in the Gurgaon-Delhi direction on NH8 also merged at Rangpuri. This caused a funnel effect, backing up traffic well into Gurgaon during peak hours. With the tunnel operational, these streams are being gradually separated, offering a smoother flow, especially outside the office rush.With the new tunnel open, many commuters are bypassing Mahipalpur and Rangpuri altogether, especially those travelling to or from the airport and west Delhi. An NHAI official said on Tuesday, "Traffic headed to the airport or west Delhi is gradually shifting away from NH8. This has started easing pressure on Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, especially in non-peak hours. We are conducting a traffic pattern study. It will take two more weeks to get a full picture." Though the opening of the tunnel has helped commuters partially, the rush-hour traffic is still a pain.Neha Sharma, one of the commuters, said, "It was raining on Tuesday evening when I left Udyog Vihar around 6.30pm for Terminal 1. During non-peak hours, it is just 20-minute drive but today it took me two hours. Vehicles were crawling till Mahipalpur flyover and the rain just made things worse."Shubham Choudhary, an accounts executive who drives from Palam to Udyog Vihar, said, "Earlier, I would lose 30-45 minutes just navigating Mahipalpur and Rangpuri. Now, it moves, even if slowly. On most days, I save about 15-20 minutes."