Pragati Maidan tunnel hall to open for autos with curbs | Newest Information Delhi

New Delhi: The much-awaited Pragati Maidan built-in transit hall, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, can be opened for vehicular motion on Monday morning, mentioned India Commerce Promotion Group (ITPO) and Public Works Division (PWD) officers .

Nonetheless, commuters headed in direction of central Delhi from east Delhi or vice versa will be capable to use the 1.4km-long tunnel solely after 9.30am-10 am, in keeping with a senior Delhi PWD official. The plan is to open the tunnel on trial foundation through the day time for a number of days, the official added.

“The tunnel and the underpasses can be opened for public use from 9.30am-10am on Monday. The undertaking will ease congestion on Mathura Highway and Bhairon Marg, and it’ll have an effect on close by arterial roads as effectively,” mentioned a senior ITPO official, asking to not be named.

The PWD and Delhi Visitors Police plan to function the tunnel on trial foundation for a number of days on account of which vehicular motion can be allowed solely through the day time.

“On Monday morning, site visitors coming from the east Delhi aspect can use the tunnel after 10am to go in direction of central Delhi. We’ll open the second carriageway (from central Delhi to east Delhi) of the tunnel after a number of hours. We’re nonetheless discussing the site visitors plan with Delhi Visitors Police. For now, the tunnel can be shut throughout evening. Although we’re but to resolve on the timing, the tentative plan is to open the tunnel between 8am and 8pm. We need to do the trial run earlier than it’s opened for vehicular site visitors utterly,” mentioned a senior Delhi PWD official.

When contacted, a senior Delhi Visitors Police official mentioned, “The PWD is but to tell us about its plan to open the tunnel tomorrow.”

Sudhin Biswas, a resident of Gurugram, mentioned, “I used to be visiting a pal in east Delhi. I assumed the tunnel would have been opened to the general public by Sunday night and was planning to make use of it. However, this may deliver down the journey time between central Delhi and east Delhi. Presently, it takes not less than 30-40 minutes to cross this stretch throughout peak hours. Because of the development work, I used to keep away from taking Bhairon Marg.”

The transit hall features a 1.4km lengthy tunnel passing via Pragati Maidan connecting Ring Highway to Purana Qila Highway and 6 underpasses on Mathura Highway and Bhairon Marg of which 5 had been inaugurated by the PM on Sunday. Whereas all 5 underpasses are prepared, work on an underpass at Ring Highway and Bhairon Marg intersection continues to be happening.

The Delhi PWD official, conscious of the event mentioned, “After dialogue with the site visitors police, we’ve got shifted the present U-turn on Ring Highway nearer to the IP flyover. This has been achieved to ease site visitors motion across the tunnel. Now, site visitors coming from east Delhi can simply entry the tunnel, because the Ring Highway and Bhairon Marg intersection has been made sign free. Because of the current change, these coming from Bhairon Marg and heading in direction of NH-9 must drive a bit additional to take a U-turn on Ring Highway, because it has been moved nearer to the IP flyover,” mentioned the PWD official .

The tunnel, Delhi PWD officers mentioned, will ease the motion between central Delhi and east Delhi. The site visitors coming from central Delhi and heading in direction of east Delhi can now rapidly entry Vikas Marg or Nationwide Freeway-9 (Delhi-Meerut expressway) utilizing the tunnel.

“The 5 underpasses on Bhairon Marg and Mathura Highway will ease site visitors motion on the 2 arterial roads,” mentioned a Delhi PWD official.

The transit hall, a senior site visitors official mentioned, will smoothen the site visitors motion within the space. “Because of the heavy site visitors quantity through the peak hours, it used to take half-hour not less than for central Delhi-bound site visitors coming from east Delhi to cross this stretch. The present street infrastructure was not enough to deal with the site visitors load. However now, the tunnel will clear up the issue to an excellent extent.”