Delhi: Benito Juarez Marg underpass will open to traffic next Monday

The much-delayed Benito Juarez Marg underpass, which is likely to reduce congestion on Rao Tula Ram (RTR) Marg, Ring Road and Dhaula Kuan, will open to traffic next Monday (June 27), Delhi’s public works department (PWD) officials have said

The much-delayed Benito Juarez Marg underpass, which is likely to reduce congestion on Rao Tula Ram (RTR) Marg, Ring Road and Dhaula Kuan, will open to traffic next Monday (June 27), Delhi’s public works department (PWD) officials have said.

There are six underpasses -- four on Mathura Road, one on Bhairon Marg, and one at the intersection of Ring Road and Bhairon Marg -- constructed as part of the project. The 1.5 km long tunnel has artwork depicting the six seasons. (ARVIND YADAV/HT PHOTO.) (HT_PRINT)

A senior PWD official said most of the work on the key underpass is complete. “There are minor clean-up and painting activities left and these will be wrapped up in the next six days. We have received a sanction for holding the inauguration on June 27 and it will be opened to traffic the same day,” the official said, asking not to be named.

On June 11, Hindustan Times had reported that the work on the underpass is complete and the PWD has sent a communique to the Delhi government to fix an inauguration date.

PWD officials said the key parallel link is expected to reduce the vehicular load on Dhaula Kuan intersection by at least 25%. “It will also help in providing relief to commuters who face snarls between Dhaula Kuan and Durga Bai Deshmukh Metro station, next to Delhi University’s South Campus,” the official said.

The 1.2km-long Y-shaped underpass is the second of the two-part Rao Tula Ram project, which the Delhi government approved in 2013. The first part, the Rao Tula Ram (RTR) flyover, was inaugurated in July 2019 after several delays. A 670m skywalk connecting the two arms of the underpass on San Martin Marg and Benito Juarez Marg has also been developed as a part of the project.

“With the underpass ramps occupying a significant portion of the right of way, the skywalk was conceived to facilitate pedestrian movement,” the official quoted above said.

The main tunnel under the Ring Road is around 526m long and has three arms (ramps) -- the ramp to Benito Juarez Marg is 351m long, the San Martin Road ramp is 176m long and the ramp along the Ring Road is 200m long.

The underpass from Benito Juarez Marg to San Martin Marg is aimed at facilitating smooth movement of vehicles coming from the Indian Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, thereby taking the load off Ring Road.

Once the project is opened, it will also facilitate vehicles coming from Gurugram, Mahipalpur or Dwarka towards AIIMS or New Delhi.

A PWD official said that instead of passing through Dhaula Kuan, motorists will have the option to take a right from Subroto Park to enter RTR Marg and then the new underpass to reach near Moti Bagh Gurdwara on Ring Road.

Dr S Velmurugan, chief scientist, Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), said the underpass will reduce the load on the arterial corridors leading towards central Delhi. “The volume of traffic beyond Munirka will definitely reduce and the alternative route will positively impact several other arterial roads. While it will improve connectivity from Gurugram and airport towards central Delhi, PWD needs to ensure that it develops more pedestrian facilities and better road crossings as the new underpass will certainly lead to fast-moving traffic in the area,” he said.

Delays in RTR twin project

After receiving the Delhi cabinet nod in 2013 and construction work starting in November 2015, the project got inordinately delayed and missed at least eight deadlines. It remained stuck for over 2.5 years due to a delay in shifting several high-tension wires that power a railways traction substation in the area.

Between 2015 and 2018, the executing agency was only able to complete 35% of the work on the underpass. The original project cost was estimated at ₹102.4 crore, but the delay, cost of shifting utilities and tree felling measures inflated the cost to ₹143.8 crore.

According to a PWD official, the main hurdle that hobbled the project was the shifting of utilities on a portion of Ring Road abutting Satya Niketan. “The work was repeatedly suspended due to pollution and pandemic-related construction bans and also financial problems. At one point, the Delhi traffic police denied us permission to dig under the Ring Road before the completion of the RTR Flyover so as to not impact both corridors simultaneously. Work on the underpass only gathered steam after the RTR flyover was completed,” the official said, asking not to be named.