Service-lane work on Katraj-Dehu rd bypass continues to pose a traffic hazard for commuters

PUNE It has been risky travelling on the Katraj-Dehu road bypass for the last couple of months, as the work on the service roads, on both sides of this bypass, is still on

PUNE It has been risky travelling on the Katraj-Dehu road bypass for the last couple of months, as the work on the service roads, on both sides of this bypass, is still on.

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At several spots, the work is overflowing onto the main bypass highway, with huge rocks, mud and construction material obstructing the path of commuters and motorists.

“I travel on this bypass every day for my work and often, we have to slow down as material is on the road. I have seen two-wheeler riders slipping over the mud and stones near Katraj,” said Rohan Nalawade, a resident of the Vadagaon Budruk area.

Pankaj Shastri, a resident from Warje said, “We have to risk our lives while travelling on the bypass. The service road work is going on at a snail’s pace. There are children and senior citizens who travel on bikes.”

The Katraj-Dehu road bypass opened in 1989, to keep heavy-vehicle movement outside the city limits. Trucks going towards Mumbai and Gujarat from Bengaluru and Kolhapur use the bypass. It is a 40-km stretch that connects several residential parts of the city, from Katraj, Sinhagad road, Warje, Kothrud, Baner, Balewadi, and Hinjewadi, to Chinchwad and Dehu road.

Atul Namekar, secretary, Sinhagad road-Warje residents’ association, said, “This bypass is a major road for citizens which connects several parts of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. So there is round-the-clock traffic movement. Earlier also there have been many fatal accidents due to repair works going on. There needs to be a permanent solution and the service road work should be completed fast.”

State public works department (PWD) executive engineer Dhananjay Deshpande said, “All the safety measures have been taken on the service roads. We will take a review where construction material is on the highway and it will be immediately be removed.”