Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the main tunnel and five other underpasses as part of the Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor project on June 19. The inauguration of the 1.6-km-long tunnel, which will be Delhi’s first, will allow commuters travelling to India Gate and other central Delhi areas from east Delhi, Noida and Ghaziabad to ditch traffic snarls at ITO, Mathura Road and Bhairon Marg.

The project has been built at a cost of more than Rs 920 crore and funded entirely by the Central Government, the PMO said in a statement.

It is aimed at providing hassle-free and smooth access to the new world-class exhibition and convention centre being developed at Pragati Maidan, thereby facilitating easy participation of exhibitors and visitors in the programmes, it said.

Public Works Department (PWD) officials said that once the tunnel is operational, motorists travelling from Noida, Ghaziabad and east Delhi areas will have signal-free access to India Gate, Supreme Court, Mathura Road and vice-versa.

The tunnel starts near the National Sports Complex of India (NSCI) at the Purana Qila Road and passes underneath the redeveloped Pragati Maidan to culminate at the Ring Road near the Pragati Power station. “It will be Delhi’s first tunnel in which traffic will move. It is equipped with the latest technologies such as a digital control room with the facility of a public announcement system inside the tunnel. To allay fears of water logging, we have constructed seven underground sumps to collect and drain storm water automatically,” a PWD official said.

This will be the PWD’s second big road infrastructure project that will be thrown open to the public this year. In April, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had inaugurated the underpass at the Ashram intersection in south Delhi. Another PWD official said that the tunnel will be under strict surveillance with nearly 100 CCTV cameras installed inside. “We have also made arrangements for proper ventilation in the tunnel. Specially designed German-made large exhaust fans have been installed for ventilation purposes,” the official said.

The official added that other than easing traffic movement in the ITO area, the tunnel and underpasses will also improve connectivity to the newly redeveloped Pragati Maidan. Dedicated entry and exit points have been provided for Pragati Maidan from the tunnel and the underpasses on Bhairon Marg.