NEW DELHI: To provide proper connectivity between the skywalk near the Pragati Maidan metro station and the pedestrian bridge at the ITO intersection , the Public Works Department is working on an ambitious scheme to build a tunnel linking the two facilities. To be constructed under the Tilak Bridge railway line, on either side of Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, the small pedestrian tunnels will provide a safe and dedicated walkway for people going towards the W-point crossing (where Mathura Road, Tilak Marg and Sikandra Road meet) from the direction of ITO crossing and vice versa.Officials said that the underground walkway would help bring more pedestrians to the pedestrian overbridge at the ITO crossing, which otherwise remains underutilised almost every day. The new walkway will start at the mouth of the staircase of the existing ITO overbridge and then go below Tilak Bridge before connecting with the skywalk near the ramp outside the Hanuman temple on the eastern side and near the Tilak Bridge railway station side on the west.“Currently, there is only a constricted space under Tilak Bridge for the use of pedestrians. The tunnel will, therefore, provide safe space for the movement of people from one side to the other,” a PWD official said.While PWD is working on the proposal, the project will have to be executed by Northern Railways since the tunnel will have to be built under the heavily used railway line. Officials said the tunnel would be built using the box-pushing technique in which concrete tunnel segments cast elsewhere are pushed into place under the surface without disturbing the road traffic.“The project on the walkway requires the use of the piece of land around the railway line. This land belongs to the Railways,” the official said. “The constructing agency will have to remove the encroachment to make space for the pathway and the tunnel. We are preparing the plan and the Railways will have to vet the design and construct the tunnel accordingly. We will soon send the scheme details to them.”While appreciating the idea of improving and area where the pedestrian facilities are almost non-existent, experts believe PWD should also find a way to improve the usage of the ITO pedestrian bridge. “It should conduct a destination survey of people crossing the ITO intersection at the surface and connect the FOB to the desired points. Its integration with the skywalk will also improve its utility,” said Sewa Ram, professor of transport planning, School of Planning and Architecture.Meanwhile, to prevent people risking their lives while crossing the W-point traffic intersection amid moving traffic, PWD is erecting iron grills at all suitable locations. A senior PWD official said the footpaths around the intersection were being improved and proper lighting would also be installed to ensure the pedestrians are not inconvenienced. “We are creating a barrier between the road and the footpath on all sides by installing railings. We want the maximum people to use the skywalk when crossing the road,” the official said.

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