Delhi PWD proposes technical changes to finish Bhairon Marg underpass

Work on the Bhairon Marg underpass was halted in 2023, due to persistent waterlogging that caused two concrete boxes to sink

The Public Works Department (PWD) has decided to complete work on the stuck Pragati Maidan tunnel underpass along the Bhairon Marg, by reducing height and width of the underpass, restricting its use to light motor vehicles and reducing the number of carriageways from three to two, officials aware of the development said.

The two-lane carriageway, which is open to traffic. (HT Archive)

Once the proposal is approved, work may be completed within eight months, officials said.

“The department worked on several solutions and also took expert opinions from IIT Delhi and Bombay before finalising the plan. We have formulated a proposal that includes design changes, such as reducing the height of the underpass to make it technically feasible, and sent it for approval. We are hoping to begin work soon,” PWD minister Parvesh Verma said.

The underpass is part of the six Pragati Maidan tunnel underpasses—five of these were inaugurated by the Prime Minister and opened for public use in June 2022. However, work on the Bhairon Marg underpass was halted in 2023, due to persistent waterlogging that caused two concrete boxes—being pushed under the railway overbridge, as part of the box-push technology—to shift and sink during monsoon.

Officials said the site was especially vulnerable to frequent inundation as it was hardly 100 metres from the banks of Yamuna, containing higher groundwater levels. The site has three active railway lines above the junction, and construction and tunneling work could only be done during a four-hour window every night. Both the issues were tackled with redesigning the drainage around the area, officials said.

The underpass was scheduled to be completed in June 2022, but the deadline was initially extended to the end of 2022, and then again delayed to early 2023. A two-lane carriageway of this underpass is completed and opened for public use, while a three-lane carriageway is still incomplete.

PWD officials said that both IITs suggested a “cut and cover” method to complete the work, wherein the railway tracks around it would be dismantled, boxes would be levelled, underpass completed and track relaid.

“This method would take around 40 days (to complete the work). Accordingly, Railways were requested to give traffic block for 40 days for completion of balance the underpass work, but the Railways denied it and requested to explore other alternatives like cast-in-situ,” a PWD official said.

The official said that IIT Delhi suggested that employing the cast-in-situ method from the Ring Road side would be the most feasible option at this stage.

In this method, settlement of boxes will not be corrected. Instead, the width of the underpass will be reduced from 11.5 metres to 6.25 metres and the height of the box from 5.5 metres to 3.9 metres. Due to restriction in width and height of the underpass, it will be used for light vehicles only with two lanes in place of three, officials said.

A detailed proposal to restart work was sent to MoHUA last month and a response is awaited, officials said, adding that once approved, it will take eight months to complete the work.

The integrated corridor was constructed to provide seamless connectivity to the Pragati Maidan complex, as well as declutter surrounding arterial roads, such as Ring Road, Mathura Road and Bhairon Marg. Of the 110 metres of the total length of the Bhairon Marg-Ring Road underpass, work on the last 28 metres is left. This underpass consists of two sections—a two-lane box and a three-lane box. The two-lane section, which is complete, facilitates motorists moving from ITO-Ring Road towards Bhairon Marg while the three-lane section—which is likely to be reduced to two lanes now—will facilitate traffic movement from Bhairon Marg towards Ring Road.

Currently, traffic moving towards Sarai Kale Khan on Bhairon Marg has to take a left turn on Ring Road and then take a U-turn from near a fuel station close to the IP bus depot to reach their destination. Once completed, the underpass will facilitate signal-free connectivity on the Ring Road between Sarai Kale Khan ISBT and Kashmere Gate.