Bhairon Marg underpass: Railway NOC received, completion target December

Delhi government gets NOC from Indian Railways for Bhairon Marg underpass, aiming to complete it by December 2026, easing traffic congestion.

The Delhi government has received a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Indian Railways for executing the remaining work for the development of the Bhairon Marg underpass – the final remaining project from the Pragati Maidan Integrated Corridor Project aimed at easing congestion on Ring Road and Bhairon Marg, officials said on Monday.

The project had been stuck for years due to pending clearances and lack of coordination, said PWD minister. (HT archive)

Construction work is now likely to resume, with a target of completing the remaining work by December 2026, Public Works Department (PWD) minister Parvesh Verma said.

“This project had been stuck for years due to pending clearances and lack of coordination. We approached it with a clear intent – to resolve issues, not to pass responsibility. With this NOC, the final hurdle has been cleared. The focus now is on execution, speed, and accountability. This project will be completed by December 2026,” Verma said.

While the main tunnel and five underpasses were inaugurated and opened to the public in June 2022 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Underpass No. 5 along Bhairon Marg remains incomplete. The project has been stuck since mid-2023, when construction had to be halted following the sinking and shifting of two concrete boxes being pushed under an active railway overbridge, PWD officials aware of the project details said.

Officials said the site’s proximity to the Yamuna, high groundwater levels, and the presence of three active railway lines above the tunnel alignment have added to the engineering challenges. After months of technical reviews and consultations with IIT-Delhi and IIT-Bombay, PWD proposed a redesign earlier this year. The new design proposes reducing the height and width of the underpass, limiting it to light vehicles and cutting the carriageway from three lanes to two. The height would come down from 5.5 metres to 3.9 metres, and the width from 11.5 metres to 6.25 metres.

The first major breakthrough came in August 2025, when the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA) approved a revised execution plan. That approval addressed core technical concerns, particularly soil settlement beneath the structure and the need for design modifications near the railway embankment.

“Even after MoHUA’s approval, the project could not move forward due to the absence of final clearance from Railways, given the proximity of the structure to active railway infrastructure. This remained the last and most crucial hurdle,” one of the officials cited above explained.

Verma said the underpass is a vital component of Delhi’s broader infrastructure network. “Once operational, it will ease congestion around Pragati Maidan and the ITO corridor, improve east-central connectivity, and ensure smoother traffic flow during major national and international events hosted at the ITPO complex.”