Ludhiana: Bharat Nagar Chowk to partially close, no end to traffic woes for residents
Diversions for commuters will be created Bharat Nagar Chowl will be partially closed as major excavation will be carried out at the main intersection for raking up pillars
After the partial closure of Bhai Bala Chowk and Sidhwan Canal on the Ferozepur road, the Bharat Nagar Chowk will also be partially closed for traffic from next week due to the ongoing construction of the elevated road project.
Diversions for commuters will be created as major excavation will be carried out at the main intersection for raking up pillars. The construction authorities have already barricaded a major portion of the road and commuters will be left with little or no room on the road in the coming days.
The Bharat Nagar Chowk, which is the meeting point of traffic going towards and coming from the bus stand, Ferozepur Road, Mall Road and Jagraon Bridge is the city’s busiest intersection. Owing to congestion due to the construction work, commuters undergo massive inconvenience throughout the day.
As per the proposed plans, the commuters coming from Bhai Bala Chowk will take a detour towards mall road on the opposite side of the mini-secretariat. While the commuters heading towards the mini-secretariat from Mall Road and Jagraon Bridge will be diverted towards Kochar Market.
To reduce the congestion at Bharat Nagar Chowk, traffic police had diverted the passenger buses using Ferozepur Road towards the alternative routes. As the alternative route, Gill Road- Southern bypass- Ferozepur Road, also lies in a dilapidated state, the plan had been changed and buses heading towards the bus stand were allowed through the Ferozepur road.
Assistant commissioner of police Charanjiv Lamba said that commuters are advised to avoid this route for the coming two months. He said that authorities are taking necessary steps to reduce the inconvenience for residents.
Sharing her concern, Manwinder Sharma, a lawyer, said that he commutes from his home in the old city and district courts at the mini-secretariat by his car and gets stuck in heavy jams every day.
He said that alternative routes also lay in shambles and will add 30 minutes to his daily traveling time.
The elevated road project extending from Samrala Chowk to Octroi on Ferozepur Road began in October 2017. While it was supposed to be completed by 2020 initially, the deadline has now been pushed to July 2023.