Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday inaugurated the 1200 metre long Y shape underpass Benito Juarez Marg underpass that is set to reduce commuting time between Central and South Delhi. The underpass saw the light of the day after missing eight deadlines. The underpass starts near Delhi University's Sri Venkateshwara college and goes beneath at the Durga Bai Deshmukh South Campus Metro Station on to the Ring Road. One of its arms opens on the San Martin Road while the other one on the Ring Road towards Moti Bagh. The newly constructed underpass is likely to save around eight to 10 minutes for commuters.
The Deputy Chief Minister said that this is one of the first underpasses in Delhi which has been built in Y-shape and helps commuters use it for two directions. Apart from reducing the commuting time for locals, this underpass will also benefit lakhs of other commuters in Delhi daily. The total cost of the project was Rs 143.78 crores. The two lane underpass in Y shape carriage-way on both sides of is covered from above road hump design to prevent rain water from entering the underpass.
Currently, people coming from Gurgaon and the Indira Gandhi International Airport have to take the Dhaula Kuan route to reach AIIMS and Central Delhi. Commuters travelling to AIIMS, Chanakyapuri, Yashwant Place from the airport and Gurugram will now be able to bypass traffic bottlenecks at the Outer Ring Road, Dhaula Kuan, and Rao Tula Ram Marg by using this facility.
“The Deputy CM said that the smooth movement of vehicles at the new underpass will reduce fuel consumption by 2181 liters per day and lessen capital’s carbon emissions by 5 tons per day.
“As per an estimate, the project will help in saving Rs 18 crores annually. An individual commuter will be able to save money in the range of Rs 100-Rs 5000,” he added.
The newly inaugurated underpass is also aesthetically appealing with paintings and other things. Not only this, as a part of the project, a 670 meter skywalk connecting the two parts of the underpass on San Martín road and Benito Juárez route has also been built. The construction of the underpass, which was part of the corridor development of IIT to NH-8, was started in 2016. The project conceived in 2013 was one of the most-delayed projects of the Public Works Department, after having missed several deadlines due to clearance issues, departmental approvals, Covid lockdown and the ban on construction activities among others.
