Work on final Pragati Maidan underpass to resume after monsoon: PWD

The underpass is crucial for completing the full loop of the corridor and resolving persistent traffic bottlenecks near Bhairon Marg and Ring Road.

More than two years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor, work on its last and long-delayed underpass is finally set to resume after monsoon, Delhi’s public works department (PWD) minister Parvesh Verma said on Monday.

Parvesh Verma inspects Underpass 5, key to completing the full loop of the corridor. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

PWD officials said all technical preparations for the project have been completed, and the department is now awaiting final clearance from the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA). Once the go-ahead is received, construction of Underpass 5 will begin immediately, with an eight-month completion target.

The underpass is crucial for completing the full loop of the corridor and resolving persistent traffic bottlenecks near Bhairon Marg and Ring Road.

We’ve submitted the final proposal to the Centre. As soon as approval comes in, work will resume, hopefully within a month. This last underpass is critical to decongest traffic around Pragati Maidan, and we are fully committed to completing it at the earliest,” Verma said after a site inspection.

The Pragati Maidan corridor, designed to streamline traffic around the city’s central business and exhibition district, includes a main tunnel and six underpasses. Five are already operational, easing movement along major arteries such as Ring Road, Bhairon Marg and Mathura Road. The missing link is Underpass 5 — a 110-metre stretch connecting Bhairon Marg to Ring Road.

Following the collapse, PWD roped in experts from IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, and the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) to conduct a technical review.“Experts suggested switching from the box-pushing method to the cast-in-situ technique — a more controlled process that involves constructing the underpass segment directly on-site without disturbing railway operations overhead,” a PWD official said.

The shift, however, comes with compromises. However, the revised strategy comes with trade-offs. The originally planned three-lane underpass with a clearance of 5.5 metres will now be restricted to two lanes with a height of 3.9 metres and a width of 6.25 metres — limiting usage to light motor vehicles only. The damaged precast boxes will not be removed, with the new alignment bypassing them entirely.

“All groundwork has been completed — utility shifting, soil testing, and the new design,” said a senior PWD official. “We’re now only waiting for MoHUA’s nod.”

The revised blueprint, with expert recommendations and execution plans, was submitted to the ministry last month and is currently under review.

Once operational, the underpass will restore a critical directional link between Ring Road and Bhairon Marg, easing one of central Delhi’s most congested stretches. The PWD also plans to install digital signage and height barriers to prevent entry of heavy vehicles.

During his site visit, Verma also inspected drain regulator No. 14 between ITO and Sarai Kale Khan, which he said has been cleared of blockages and fitted with a new pumping station.

“This regulator plays a key role in preventing floods in low-lying areas such as Pragati Maidan, Supreme Court, Mathura Road, and Kaka Nagar. We’ve installed new high-capacity pumps so that when the Yamuna’s water level rises, the gate can be shut and excess water safely drained downstream,” Verma posted on X.

Drain regulators — iron gates installed along major drains — are used to prevent river backflow. Delhi has 40 such regulators, maintained by the irrigation department.