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Ludhiana: Brace for traffic as Bharat Nagar Chowk set to remain closed on October 4
The stretch from Bharat Nagar Chowk to Mini Secretariat had remained closed for the traffic over the weekend to complete the construction work
Commuters can expect another day of traffic snarls as the three-day deadline set for completion of installing girders to join flyovers at the Bharat Nagar Chowk has been stretched to five days — and the road will now remain closed till Wednesday.
The stretch from Bharat Nagar Chowk to Mini Secretariat had remained closed for the traffic over the weekend to complete the construction work.
Given the lower number of vehicles on the road on Saturday and Sunday as well as and on Monday — with it being a public holiday in view of the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi — the blow of the closure was softened.
Traffic, however, moved at a snail’s pace over the course of Tuesday and commuters could be seen stuck in serpentine queues for long periods.
Several cars were redirected to alternative routes, but with the inner roads being much narrower, congestion was witnessed elsewhere as well.
Notably, the road leading to Mini Secretariat from Bharat Nagar Chowk is one of the busiests parts of the city.
The stretch was closed for the installation of girders at the flyover, but with one of the cranes developing a technical snag over the weekend, the work remained incomplete and the closure was extended for a day. The installation, however, could not be completed on Tuesday either and the contractor requested another extension.
According to the traffic police department, the stretch will now reopen for vehicular traffic on Thursday.
Rahul Verma, member of Road Safety Council, Punjab, said the contractor had to install a total of nine girders at the site and permission to close the stretch for three days from September 30 to October 2 was granted by the authorities as government offices remained closed on these days.
Over the period, the contractor was able to install only four girders as the work halted due to the technical snag. On Tuesday, five more girders were installed at the site and the remaining four girders will be installed on Wednesday.
Assistant commissioner of police (ACP, Traffic) Charanjiv Lamba, meanwhile, said that they held a meeting with NHAI officials on Tuesday and were assured that the work will be complete by Wednesday. He added that the police have shifted the traffic on the alternative routes to avoid a jam like situation on Wednesday.
Notably, the ACP had earlier noted that keeping the road at Bharat Nagar Chowk closed for traffic on a weekday could paralyse the flow of the traffic in the surrounding areas and that they would discuss the construction work being moved to a later date with the contractor.
