Construction work of an underpass at Mahavir Chowk has been resumed. The Public Works Department (PWD) will make an underpass, elevated skywalk at Mahavir Chowk with five exits connecting five different routes. The project is expected to be completed by July 2021.

"The tender for the project was allotted nine months ago. The estimated cost of the projects would be around Rs 118 crore. In which Rs 56 crore will be spent for Underpass along with Foot Over Bridge (FOB) at Mahavir Chowk and Rs 62 Crore for a flyover at Gurudwara Road," said a senior GMDA official.

The walkway will have five exits, each one opening towards Bus stand, MG Road, Police Lines, Old Delhi Road and Sadar Bazaar respectively. There will be escalators at Sadar Bazaar, Police lines exit point and the other three exits will have lifts.

"Once operational the flyover, underpass and FOB would bring relief to tens of lakhs of commuters who struggle currently through unending traffic jams on these stretches which traffic cops find difficult to manage" the official said.

At present Mahavir Chowk and Gurudwara Road are often dogged by traffic problems, with autos parked on the stretch grabbing a lot of road space.

"Movement of traffic, as well as pedestrians, is highly haphazard at Mahavir Chowk. We are expecting that once the improvement plan is executed, it will cut down the traffic volume," he said.

The area near the old civil hospital, bus terminal, police lines and Sadar Bazaar sees long traffic snarls every day. Despite actions like creating a dedicated lane for autos and closing existing gaps in the median, the traffic police have not been able to prevent traffic woes.

Similarly, thousands of commuters, who visit the district's biggest, Vegetable Market and Bus stand finds it difficult to cross the busy Mahavir Chowk and Gurudwara Road.

Hence, a 315 meters skywalk will be built at Mahavir Chowk, Which will have escalators on all four sides.

Apart from this, the development authority has started construction work of a flyover at Atul Kataria Chowk and an underpass will also be built at Kataria Chowk to tackle traffic load on Old Delhi Road. The road will have six lanes from Mahavir Chowk to Palam Vihar curve, after which it will be widened as per available space.

"The flyover, underpass and skywalk would bring relief to several commuters who struggle through unending traffic jams on these busy stretches which traffic cops find difficult to manage, said a senior traffic official.