UTTIPEC, under the Delhi Development Authority, approved a walkability plan for the Purana Qila–Pragati Maidan–Delhi Zoo stretch. The Public Works Department will execute the project and prepare detailed engineering plans before finalising implementation details and timelines.

The plan proposes continuous shaded pathways connecting Purana Qila, Pragati Maidan and the National Zoological Park; safer pedestrian crossings; streetscaping; traffic calming; dedicated non-motorised transport infrastructure; improved intersection accessibility; and better public transport integration. The corridors are intended to improve walking comfort and last-mile connectivity for visitors, tourists and commuters around Mathura Road and Bhairon Marg.

The approval follows Delhi’s Enhanced Walkability in Delhi policy, notified in 2019, which promotes wider footpaths, universal accessibility, better crossings and integration with metro stations and bus stops. The stretch has seen redevelopment linked to Pragati Maidan and road upgrades, but pedestrian movement remains fragmented by wide carriageways, inadequate crossings and inconsistent footpaths. UTTIPEC has also taken up walkability and non-motorised transport projects at metro stations, institutional areas and commercial districts across Delhi.

Work has resumed on Underpass No. 5, the final underpass of the Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor near Bhairon Marg, with completion targeted for February. The box-pushing exercise is complete and stitching work has begun. Railways has given in-principle approval for the revised cast-in-situ construction method; train movement on the overhead line will need to be restricted for only a few days next month, instead of the previously planned 40 days.

The two-lane underpass will serve light motor vehicles and connect Ring Road with Pragati Maidan. Its revised dimensions are 3.9 metres high and 6.25 metres wide, reduced from 5.5 metres and 11.5 metres; the design was narrowed from three lanes to two. Officials said this was the only technically feasible option without dismantling the railway tracks above.

The corridor’s main tunnel and four underpasses opened in June 2022. Work on No. 5 stopped in mid-2023 after two concrete boxes sank and shifted during pushing beneath an active railway overbridge. The site’s proximity to the Yamuna, high groundwater and three active railway lines complicated construction. Road integration, drainage, retaining walls and finishing work will follow in phases.

Pragati Maidan Underpass-5, stalled for years, is back on track. Its progress may ease daily traffic jams at Delhi’s ITO and Pragati Maidan junctions.

Delhi PWD Minister Parvesh Verma said the Pragati Maidan tunnel project’s final underpass could be completed within eight to nine months after approval from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Work is unlikely to resume before the monsoon ends. PWD has completed technical assessments and submitted a revised proposal to the Centre.

The unfinished section is the second ramp of underpass number five on Bhairo Marg, connecting the tunnel to the road. A 28-metre stretch remains incomplete; only half the underpass is operational. Most of the 1.36-km tunnel and five underpasses opened in June 2022. In 2023, Yamuna floodwaters caused precast concrete boxes to sink, halting work.

Following recommendations from IIT-Delhi, IIT-Bombay and the Central Building Research Institute, PWD proposed cast-in-situ construction. The redesigned ramp would be reduced from 11.5 metres wide and 5.5 metres high to 6.25 metres wide and 3.9 metres high, restricting it to light motor vehicles. The corridor is intended to ease travel between Central and South Delhi, including routes to Sarai Kale Khan, ISBT and Ashram.

Construction of the final underpass in Delhi’s Pragati Maidan tunnel complex is set to resume after the Public Works Department resolved technical issues that halted progress in 2023. The revised plan targets completion in eight months.