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Built but barricaded: ₹24.5-crore ROB awaits opening a year on
The two-lane ROB, built near Somnath Dwar to ease traffic pressure on the British-era bridge, has remained behind concrete barricades despite the railways completing the structure. Commuters continue to use the old route, causing inconvenience.
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More than a year after its construction, the ₹24.5-crore two-lane railway overbridge (ROB) beside the 154-year-old Katai Wala Pul continues to remain closed to daily commuters as departments work to resolve pending issues related to the approach road and rotary.
The two-lane ROB, built near Somnath Dwar to ease traffic pressure on the British-era bridge, has remained behind concrete barricades despite the railways completing the structure. Commuters continue to use the old route, causing inconvenience.
The ROB project began on February 15, 2022. However, more than a year after its completion, commuters are still unable to use the facility as the approach-road and rotary-related requirements are yet to be resolved.
A railway official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they had completed the ROB but could not open it because approach-road work and other related requirements were pending. The official said the railways had been coordinating with the district administration and other agencies for nearly a year to resolve the issues.
However, PWD executive engineer Satendra Nath said the ROB would be opened within 15 days. He said the railways had transferred funds for installing signage and shifting the rotary to facilitate its opening.
For commuters, the delay means continued dependence on the existing road. The prolonged delay has also raised questions over inter-departmental coordination and planning.
“I have been working in Arjunganj and regularly use this stretch. The ROB has remained blocked for over a year. If the rotary and other requirements were necessary, why were they not addressed during construction?” Rishi Singh, a commuter, said.
The Katai Wala Pul, built in 1872, connects Sadar, Arjunganj and southern parts of Lucknow with Hazratganj and Chowk. The new ROB is part of infrastructure changes planned around the bridge as the railways prepares to expand the railway corridor from two to four tracks.
According to an earlier HT report in March 2025, officials had said the existing bridge would be demolished once the new two-lane ROB became operational, with another two-lane bridge planned in phases.
