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After ₹865 crore and six-year wait, traffic tangle at Chandani Chowk remains
Despite spending ₹865 crore and six years of construction, the Chandani Chowk flyover in Pune has failed to solve the traffic problem, according to locals and opposition leaders. Traffic chaos and confusion still remain, with commuters complaining about the lack of clear directions and excessive detours. Leaders have called for a review of the situation and for improvements to be made to the city's development planning. The NHAI, responsible for the project, has acknowledged the traffic issues and is working on constructing a new underpass to alleviate congestion.
Despite spending over ₹865 crore and a long plus cumbersome wait of six years, Chandani Chowk, known as Pune’s western gateway has failed to resolve the traffic problem. The locals say, new infrastructure and changes have in fact worsened the traffic.
Now, leaders from opposition also are pointing at tangled traffic at Chandani Chowk where a multi-ramp flyover-cum-interchange was inaugurated on August 12.
Due to multiple flyovers and underpasses, commuters thought it would take a few days to settle down confusion. However, after almost a month, traffic chaos still remains and commuters are still confused.
Fahim Mulla, a commuter said, “It is a good project, but commuters are confused. I couldn’t find my way when I travelled to Mulshi. It is a maze. Passengers get confused about how and where to go due to large winding roads in NDA .”
Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Satyajeet Tambe on Saturday raised the issue of traffic congestion in Pune by sharing a video. He stated that several IT companies have left Pune due to traffic issues.
Tambe posted on X, “The traffic issue in Pune is still the same. The flyover was built to solve the problem of traffic congestion in Chandani Chowk , but the situation seems to have worsened. Even pedestrians had to suffer. ” Tambe said he would also be writing a letter to the Pune police in this connection.
“It is not just a traffic problem; it is also the mental agony and anxiety of the people that should be considered. New roads being laid with exorbitant expenses do not seem to provide concrete solutions. Looking at all of this, it is safe to conclude that adding planning to city development should be of utmost priority,” Tambe said.
Abhiram Pathak, another commuter said, “Traffic is always present at Chandani Chowk. While there are guide boards in certain places, in others, these boards are not visible. Due to this, drivers get confused and lost, and have to take an unnecessary detour.”
Supriya Sule, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Member of Parliament also sought course correction stating that although the road work at Chandani Chowk in Pune has been completed, the passengers travelling on this road have not been freed from traffic jam. “It is a fact that even if the face of Chandani Chowk is changed by spending crores of rupees, pedestrians face difficulties walking,” she said.
Sule urged Pune district guardian minister Chandrakant Patil to look into the matter and inspect the problems faced here by an expert team from National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). “Through PMC, police department and administration, they should identify the errors and give instructions to the relevant system to remove them immediately,” she said.
Bharat Todkar, NHAI consultant engineer said, “
“There is a traffic jam during peak hours at Chandani Chowk. There was an underpass near the Bhusari Colony area which was demolished. Now, we are constructing a new underpass as Vedh Bhavan was not ready to hand over land to NHAI. Now, they have handed over land and we have started work. We have opened two lanes for Mumbai and two lanes for Satara. Besides that, four service lanes are operational. However, the traffic has increased as there are various development works underway across the city and traffic has been diverted to Chandani Chowk.”
“The problem will solve in couple of months after completing the underpass. We have put sign boards as per Indian Road Congress (IRS) norms. We are also constructing FoB (foot over bridge) and developing footpaths for pedestrians,” he added.
On August 27, 2017, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari laid the foundation stone of the project. The flyover is 16.98 km. It took six years to complete the project
Pune’s multi-level flyover at Chandani chowk is designed to ease traffic congestion in the area. The flyovers constructed under the supervision of NHAI was built with financial contribution from central, state government and the PMC.
