New Delhi, Oct 13 (PTI) The Delhi government plans to make a portion of the Bhairon Road underpass operational by December, a step that will cut down time for commuters travelling between ITO and Bhairon Road, officials said on Friday.

Underpass No 5 -- one of five that form part of the Pragati Maidan integrated transit corridor -- has missed several deadlines.

Also Read | Death Threat to Maharashtra Minister: Chhagan Bhujbal Receives Death Threat From Unknown Phone Number on WhatsApp.

It was supposed to be operational last December. Since then, it has faced multiple delays, including the Delhi floods, that have hampered the work.

"The Bhairon Road underpass is 110 metres in length but its location -- beneath a busy railway line -- has proved to be challenging," a senior PWD official said.

Also Read | Indian Navy Recruitment 2024: Vacancies Notified for 224 Short Service Commission Officers Post, Apply Online at joinindiannavy.gov.in.

"The July floods led to a lot of sediment accumulating in the area. This meant we were unable to employ the box pushing technique being used earlier. While the sediment has been removed, the surface has become uneven, making it impossible for the boxes to be pushed. We are devising a new technique to complete the remaining portion," an official said.

The box pushing technique does not require vertical excavation or large-scale digging. Instead, Reinforced Cement Concrete boxes are pushed with the help of hydraulic jacks to create a subway tunnel.

The official said they plan to make two lanes of the underpass operational by December.

"We will have to see how we make it operational but there are plans. The ITO-Bhairon Road portion will be completed by December and thereafter we plan to throw it open to the public. Work on the remaining portion will continue," he added.

Earlier this year, PWD Minister Atishi inspected the work and had said the road between Delhi's two inter-state bus terminals -- Kashmere Gate and Sarai Kale Khan -- will be completely signal-free once the underpass is completed.

Hundreds of thousands of vehicles passing via this route will no longer have to face traffic, she had said.

In addition, commuters who travel towards Sarai Kale Khan, Akshardham and Noida via the Bhairon Road route will no longer have to face traffic and can directly exit onto the Ring Road, she had said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)