Final hurdle cleared with Railways NOC, Bhairon Marg underpass set to be completed by December

The construction of the 110-metre-long underpass — also called underpass 5 — is now expected to resume in May.  “With the latest development, all major technical and inter-agency hurdles that had kept the project stuck for years have now been resolved. The underpass — a key link in Central Delhi’s traffic network — is now firmly back on track and will be completed by December,” said Public Works Department Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh on Monday, adding, “The focus now is on execution, speed, and accountability.”

The Minister 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. I personally met Railway authorities multiple times and visited the site to ensure that every concern was addressed.”

How will the underpass help?

The completion of the underpass will help in easing traffic movement on Ring Road from ITO, Sarai Kale Khan and New Delhi towards Kashmere Gate. More than 1 lakh vehicles on average ply on the Ring Road every day.

Once operational, the underpass will also 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.

What halted work

The project work was halted in 2023 after the precast concrete boxes, pushed beneath an active railway line using the ‘box-pushing’ method, sank due to flooding triggered by the overflowing Yamuna.At the time, the PWD had proposed a “cut and cover”  method — cutting the railway track and pulling the stuck concrete and leveling it up. For the execution, officials had said, the railway line concerned had to be shut for 40 to 60 days.  However, Railways refused to give permission.

After the permission was denied, the PWD decided to complete the project using “cast in-situ” technology. “The adoption of the cast-in-situ construction method with revised width and height parameters, was identified as the most technically viable solution in the current scenario,” an official told The Indian Express. However, this too could not be executed amid wait for the permission.

Later, in 2024, the PWD opened a 90-metre section of the underpass that goes from Bhairon Marg to Ring Road as a temporary measure to open it for traffic movement. The department placed barricades in the middle to create two lanes to allow traffic movement from Ring Road to Bhairon Marg as well as from Bhairon Marg to Sarai Kale Khan.  This meant that the heavy vehicles were able to use only one of the two carriageways.

All eyes on finish line

Now, as per the approved plan, the underpass will be shorter and uneven, but it will provide relief because only one lane is being used for both exit and entry at present. Once the stretch is fully functional, it will cut down the traffic on both the Ring Road and Bhairon Marg, said an official. “Under the approved plan, critical corrective measures were identified, including stabilisation of the foundation through grouting, structural stitching beneath the railway line to ensure safety, and adoption of a revised cast-in-situ construction methodology suited to on-ground conditions,” the official said.

Officials also said that this approach had got a  nod with a clear directive that the project would be completed within existing sanctioned funds, without placing any additional burden on the exchequer.