Ludhiana At a time when traffic congestion has become a chronic problem in Ludhiana given the ongoing construction work at Ferozepur Road and Malhar Road, prolonged closure of the Pakhowal Road from Canal Bridge to Hero Bakery Chowk has piled on to commuters’ woes.
The stretch, which is almost a kilometre-long, has been closed since December, 2020, for the construction of a railway over bridge (ROB) and two railway under bridges (RUBs) at the railway crossing. However, the contractor has blown past several deadlines.
For commuters moving towards the Canal Bridge from Sarabha Nagar and Hero Bakery Chowk, closure of the stretch has meant taking a detour via the Shastri Nagar Railway Crossing, Model Town Extension, or Cremation Ground Road (Ishmeet Singh Road).
Of detours and diversions
However, long traffic jams are being seen on the routes where traffic is being diverted, increasing commuters’ travel time. Those taking the Ishmeet Singh Road near the Pakhowal Road Canal Bridge have to contend with dug-up roads.
Punjab Road Safety Council member Rahul Verma said due to the closure of the Pakhowal Road Stretch and traffic diversions areas such Malhar Road, Sarabha Nagar, Gurdev Nagar, and the road leading to Krishna Temple in Model Town Extension have been overburdened.
{{/usCountry}}Punjab Road Safety Council member Rahul Verma said due to the closure of the Pakhowal Road Stretch and traffic diversions areas such Malhar Road, Sarabha Nagar, Gurdev Nagar, and the road leading to Krishna Temple in Model Town Extension have been overburdened.
{{/usCountry}}“The traffic coming from Model Town Extension, which earlier used to enter BRS Nagar and Sarabha Nagar from Ishmeet Singh Road (Cremation Ground Road) via Pakhowal road railway crossing, has to now get to Malhar Road via the Cremation Ground Road, Ishmeet Chowk, Shastri Nagar Railway Crossing, Malhar Road and then enter Sarabha Nagar for getting to BRS Nagar,” he said.
Absolute chaos after schools let out
“Absolute traffic chaos is seen once Sacred Heart Convent School gets over and students enter Sarabha Nagar to get to Pakhowal Road, Model Town Extension, and Civil Lines; closure of the Shastri Nagar railway crossing to allow passage of trains spells more trouble for the commuters,” added Verma.
A local, Preet Basant, who owns a shop near Krishna Temple, said heavy traffic jams are seen on the road leading towards Krishna Temple from Shastri Nagar Railway Crossing, which makes parking a nightmare. There, too, chaos prevails when classes are let out at BCM School and RS Model School and parents come to collect their wards. “Traffic cops are also deputed near the Krishana Temple, but still jams are seen. Sometimes it takes around 15-20 minutes to cross the road, especially in the morning and evening.”
Complete RUB-2 first, say commuters
Commuters say that authorities should at least complete RUB-2 (from Canal Bridge towards Leisure Valley in Sarabha Nagar) at the earliest, as it will allow the entry into Sarabha Nagar from Ishmeet Singh Road, Karnail Singh Nagar, and Vikas Nagar. It will also reduce congestion on the diverted route for reaching Hero Hakery Chowk from Pakhowal Road.
With a large number of marriage places and hotels situated on Pakhowal Road, Noorjot Singh of Vikas Nagar on Pakhowal Road predicts that the congestion will be worse as soon as the wedding season starts.
Municipal corporation (MC) officials say the project is being taken up to save the commuters’ time at the railway crossing, which is closed at least 18 times a day. However, the slow pace of the project has upset commuters.
Meanwhile, MC commissioner Pardeep Sabharwal said that traffic police are deployed to facilitate smooth movement of traffic and regular monitoring is being done to get the project completed by December 31.
QUOTES:
The journey from Hero bakery Chowk to Pakhowal Road Canal Bridge should ideally take around two minutes. However, on some days it takes around half-an-hour as I have to take a detour from Model Town Extension. Besides, traffic jams are witnessed at the Shastri Nagar Railway Crossing and intersection near Krishna Temple. The project will certainly save us the time wasted at the railway crossing, but authorities should expedite the project.
Ravneet Singh (Karan), cafe owner
The municipal authorities should have got the Vikas Nagar Railway Crossing opened before commencing the ROB/RUBs project as it would have reduced the burden on the diverted route as the traffic from Pakhowal Road Canal Bridge would have been allowed to directly reach the BRS Nagar Canal Bridge through the southern bypass road below the flyover.
Rahul Verma, Member Punjab road safety council
Though the project is being taken to save commuters’ time, but delay in completion of the work is resulting in traffic jams. It takes over half-an-hour to cover the diverted route. Despite repeated complaints, the authorities have failed to construct a concrete slip road for facilitating the movement of traffic from Ishmeet Singh Road to Pakhowal Canal Bridge. Accidents take place on the stretch on a daily basis.
Arvind Sharma, a resident of Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) Nagar