NEW DELHI: On Sunday, Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor in the Pragati maidan area was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and opened to public. It is bound to ease traffic in and around ITO.
Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor includes 1.3 km long six-lane tunnel and five underpasses which connect Ring Road with India Gate via Purana Qila Road passing through Pragati Maidan. Four underpasses are on Mathura Road, one on Bhairon Marg and one on the intersection of Ring Road and Bhairon Marg. The road tunnel is equipped with modern ventilation and automated drainage, smart fire management, digitally controlled CCTV and Public Announcement System. The new corridor will provide relief to commuters travelling to India Gate and other Central Delhi areas from East Delhi, Noida and Ghaziabad by bypassing the red lights. According to officials from Public Works Department (PWD), commuters can now save 10-15 minutes by skipping bottlenecks at ITO and Bhairon Marg. The Prime Minister’s Office, in a statement, said that the project was funded by the Government of India. It was executed by the Delhi Government’s PWD.
The construction of transit corridor was started in 2017, and has taken Rs 920 crores to be completed. It was supposed to be opened to public in 2019 and has finally been inaugurated after missing six deadlines.