LUCKNOW, Nov. 1 -- For commuters struggling to cross the narrow railway underpass near Dilkusha Kothi during rush hours, a solution is finally in sight but relief may still take time. Northern Railway has sanctioned Rs.14.23 crore for the construction of a twin-box railway underpass near Pipraghat, a long-pending project aimed at easing one of the major traffic bottlenecks connecting the Cantonment, Dilkusha and Gomti Nagar sides of the city. The final sanction was issued nearly a month ago. The approval is part of a larger Rs.26.73-crore sanction for two railway underpasses in Lucknow, including another project worth Rs.12.50 crore at South City. However, while both projects have received administrative sanction, their execution timelines remain uncertain. According to a Northern Railway sanction letter dated May 8, 2026, the Pipraghat project involves constructing a twin-box limited-height subway or road underbridge near minor bridge number 778, at kilometre 1068/35-37 on the Utraitia-Lucknow railway section. The Lucknow railway division has been nominated as the executing agency. Unlike the existing narrow passage, where vehicles approaching from opposite directions cannot cross simultaneously, the proposed twin-box structure will provide two separate passages beneath the railway tracks, officials said. This could allow traffic to be segregated by direction and reduce waiting time, although the final traffic arrangement and dimensions are yet to be confirmed. The project is significant because the existing underpass has remained a persistent bottleneck despite repeated attempts to improve connectivity around Dilkusha Kothi. An HT ground check conducted on September 19 and 20 found that the passage could accommodate only one four-wheeler at a time. Vehicles approaching from opposite directions had to wait for the passage to clear, resulting in queues on both sides. During periods of heavy traffic, commuters reported delays of up to 20 minutes. The underpass serves motorists travelling towards Cantonment, Shaheed Path and adjoining areas. Alternative road failed to ease congestion The railway sanction comes against the backdrop of earlier efforts by the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) to improve traffic movement in the area. The authority had completed a 450-metre alternative road connecting the Pipraghat underpass towards Vilayati Bagh and the Dilkusha Kothi road. Estimated to cost Rs.100.59 lakh, the road was intended to provide an alternative route for vehicles travelling from G20 Road. However, as HT reported earlier, the alternative road failed to resolve the underlying congestion problem. An LDA official had said that the authority initially considered constructing another underpass alongside the existing one as part of the Green Corridor project. The proposal was subsequently dropped. The Pipraghat underpass is not a new proposal. Plans to widen the crossing or construct an additional passage have been under discussion since 2022, when a wider underpass was proposed at an estimated cost of around Rs.12 crore. The latest sanction places the project cost at Rs.14.23 crore. The project has also reached the tendering stage. Railway tender records indicate that a tender was floated in August 2026, followed by another in September....