PWD Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan made this announcement after a visit to both the Vikas Marg crossing and Raja Ram Kohli grade separator.

The Rs 73 crore-underpass project at the Vikas Marg crossing was approved in November 2007 and was initially set for completion by December 2008. After several hiccups the project began in July last year. Construction was to start in March but the project was delayed by over three months after a DJB pipeline carrying water to the Sonia Vihar Treatment Plant burst. PWD engineers had to alter their plans before construction could finally start.

“PWD officials have informed me that 40 per cent of the work has been completed. The project will be wrapped up much ahead of the Commonwealth Games,” Rajkumar Chauhan said.

The underpass will serve as an important link between East Delhi and other parts of the Capital. The ITO crossing is one of the busiest in the city, where average stoppage time can touch 10-15 minutes per cycle during peak hours, much above the standard stoppage time of 180 seconds. With the underpass in place, all right turns on the main intersection will be closed, with only straight traffic on the main road — from Lakshmi Nagar to ITO and vice versa.

Traffic needing to go right will use the slip roads to reach the loops and finally take the underpass to reach their destinations. The four cloverleaves will also be built simultaneously.