The 1.6-km-long Pragati Maidan tunnel will be Delhi's first tunnel, which will allow commuters travelling to India Gate and other central Delhi areas from east Delhi, Noida, and Ghaziabad.
It starts near the National Sports Complex of India (NSCI) at the Purana Qila Road and passes underneath the redeveloped Pragati Maidan to culminate at the Ring Road near the Pragati Power station.
It will allow motorists travelling from Noida, Ghaziabad, and east Delhi areas to have e-signal-free access to India Gate, Supreme Court, Mathura Road, and vice-versa.
The murals inside the tunnel showcases the Indian culture, birds, and six seasons in different parts of the country from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.
The tunnel and the five underpasses are part of the Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor project and has been built at a cost of more than ₹920 crore which is funded entirely by the central government.
The construction work of the tunnel started in March 2018 and was scheduled to be completed by September 2019. However, the deadline was extended to June 2020 due to the complexities involved in the construction work. It was later pushed to December 2020 due to the COVID-19 lockdown and further extended to March 2022.
According to the officials, other than easing traffic movement in the ITO area, the tunnel and underpasses will also improve connectivity to the newly redeveloped Pragati Maidan.
A dedicated entry and exit points have been provided for Pragati Maidan from the tunnel and the underpasses on Bhairon Marg. The long-awaited tunnel will serve as an alternative route to Bhairon Marg, which is running much beyond its carriage capacity and is expected to take more than half of the traffic load of Bhairon Marg. Also, to allay fears of waterlogging, the PWD official said they have constructed seven underground sumps to collect and drain storm water automatically.
