ITO junction in Delhi to get skywalk by next year

NEW DELHI:  ITO—one of the most congested junctions in the national capital will get a skywalk by March next year.

Union Urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that the Skywalk and FOB at ITO is among the 5 projects approved for funding of Rs 643.58 crore through the Urban Development Fund by the Ministry of Urban Affairs.

The other projects involving construction of flyovers, underpasses etc are coming up at Mahipalpur, Narela, ISBT Kashmiri Gate and Rani Jhansi Road. The project has been mooted for one of the busiest crossings in Delhi.  It is an intersection point, with a metro station, the Tilak Bridge railway station and seven major arterial roads. This leads to inter-crossing of pedestrian with the vehicular traffic, posing a potentially dangerous situation to the pedestrians.

Speaking at the foundation laying event held in New Delhi on Thursday, Puri said that the Skywalk and Foot Over Bridge (FoB) will provide safe and comfortable passage to a large number of pedestrians, who come to this area.  

At present, vehicular peak hour traffic volume is around 16,000 to 20,000 PCU on ITO Chowk and 12,000 PCU on ‘W’ Point.  Around 29,000 pedestrians cross both the points. The entire cost of Rs 54.34 crore of the project is being funded through Urban Development Fund (Rs 43.47 crore) and by  DDA (Rs 10.87 crore). The project is expected to be completed by March, 2018.

 This project will benefit the public at large who visit these offices along with the employees working in over 25 major offices located in the ITO area including many government offices.

A new complex for the Supreme Court is also coming up near the Pragati Maidan Metro Station which will further increase the volume of pedestrian traffic. “Considering the importance and the high visibility of any Skywalk in the area, the design of the Skywalk should be unique, highly functional, aesthetic and should be recognized as one of the Landmarks of Delhi, the minister said.