The 1.36 km-long Pragati Maidan tunnel and six underpasses that were expected to be completed by March are running behind schedule and will take at least one more month to be completed. The revised deadline is the last week of April.
Officials said that civil work on the tunnel and five underpasses has been wrapped up and is almost ready except for one underpass on the Ring Road which has been dallying due to train timings and technicalities since it is under a railway track.
The civil work of the tunnel has been completed and the electrical work is going on, which will near completion in 2-3 weeks. Out of the six underpasses, three have been fully completed, and 96 per cent of work has been executed on two. The underpass at Ring Road Bhairon Marg intersection which comes beneath the railway line, is falling behind due to time constraints,” said a senior government official.
Stating that even though the Indian railways have been very supportive and cooperative, he added, “The work can only be carried out when trains are not running on the track. Also, box machines are pushed using hydraulic power to construct the structure, and this method cannot be done with a train running on top. Sometimes, we get two to three hours a day since it is only possible at night. In spite of these limitations, the entire stretch will be inaugurated for public use by April-end.
Though the delay has been worrisome, artwork, installation of exhaust fans, CCTVs and lighting have been completed. “Pragati Maidan tunnel will be a unique stretch and it is an engineering marvel. The 1.36-km long tunnel will be a six-lane, three-lane carriageway on both sides and it will connect, ease traffic and provide signal-free travel from Purana Qila road to Ring Road. Moreover, the tunnel will also provide direct connectivity to Pragati Maidan parking,” said L C Goyal, Chairman and Managing Director, ITPO.
The tunnel will have two control rooms at the entry and exit and it will monitor the traffic movement on this stretch through CCTVs. Apart from this, an 80-metre-long and five-metre wide emergency lane is also being developed on the tunnel to immediately tow the vehicles that break down.
