This story is from August 11, 2020

85% of work complete, Pragati Maidan tunnel may open by year-end

The 1.2km tunnel under Pragati Maidan is likely to be opened by the end of the year as 85% of its construction has been completed.
85% of work complete, Pragati Maidan tunnel may open by year-end
File photo
NEW DELHI: The 1.2km tunnel under Pragati Maidan is likely to be opened by the end of the year as 85% of its construction has been completed.
The tunnel will connect India Gate with Ring Road through Purana Qila Road and Mathura Road. While it is dimly lit at present, officials said LED lights would be installedand a world-class road laid in 3-4 months. The six-lane tunnel would reduce half the snarls caused by three major traffic signals on the stretch.
Earlier, it had been decided that all tunnels and underpasses would be opened together.
However, with only 50% staff working on the project due to acute labour shortage, two T-junctions and an underpass would be opened next month as over 95% work had been completed on these structures before the lockdown was announced.
A PWD official said that their aim was to open all the underpasses by early 2021. If this deadline was met, the commute on Mathura Road, Ring Road and Bhairon Margwould become a smooth experience.
The project seeks to make Mathura Road from the ITO W-point to Delhi Public School and Bhairon Marg-Ring Road intersection signal-free. Due to the delays on account of construction ban during winter and the lockdown, the budget of the project has risen from Rs 932 crore to Rs 1,000 crore.
The main beneficiaries of the project would be commuters heading towards east Delhi from south and Lutyens’ Delhi via India Gate and ITO. Vehicles going towards south Delhi from ITO would also have access to the tunnel from Mathura Road, providing a much-needed alternative to Bhairon Marg, especially during peak hours. This would also eventually reduce the traffic volume at ITO.

Two elevated cloverleaf roundabouts on Ring Road are being built for south and north-bound traffic. Both roundabouts are almost complete. The U-turns at Bhairon Marg and Subramaniam Bharti Marg are being replaced with elevated U-turns, giving more space to vehicles going towards ITO.
Instead of traffic signals, the three crossings at Sher Shah Road, Bhairon Marg and Subramaniam Bharati Marg will have underpasses for south-bound vehicles. Two more U-turns will be constructed at Sunder Nagar.
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