E-Paper
Chandni Chowk flyover work on track to meet May 1 deadline, congestion at some points
When Hindustan Times reviewed the work at Chandni Chowk on Sunday, work was found going on in full swing to meet the deadline given by the union minister
While work on the multilevel flyovers at Chandni Chowk is going on in full swing and seems to be on track to meet the May 1 deadline announced by union minister of road transport Nitin Gadkari earlier last month, there have been complaints of traffic congestion on the newly-started ramps at the Chowk.
On March 11, Gadkari, along with National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and Pune district administration officials had visited Chandni Chowk to review the ongoing work. As nearly 90% of the work had been completed, Gadkari announced that the multilevel flyover would be inaugurated on the occasion of Maharashtra Day on May 1, 2023, based on whether or not chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis were available.
When Hindustan Times reviewed the work at Chandni Chowk on Sunday, work was found going on in full swing to meet the deadline given by the union minister.
Ninety per cent of the project work has been completed and it is on its way to completion. Eight lanes are now available over the old bridge that was demolished; eight lanes are available for traffic, five from Mumbai to Satara or Kothrud and three from Satara to Mumbai are fully operational. Also, two additional routes have been started from Satara to Mumbai via NDA Road. The six-lane construction of the Bangalore-Mumbai highway has been completed. Ramp number 6 from Bavdhan to Satara is in its final stage and the four-lane service road to Satara via Kothrud-Sringerimath-Warje and NDA to Mumbai ramp number 5 has been completed and these roads have been opened for traffic movement.
One of the major issues which travellers are facing is that of traffic congestion from the NDA Road side ramp during peak hours with long queues of vehicles seen during peak hours on weekdays. It is a similar situation with the service road going down towards the Kothrud side which commuters are finding too steep.
Rohan Kiwale said, “I travel daily from the NDA Road side ramp and the work has been done well. However, the ramp is small and there is congestion every time during peak hours. This mega project was completed in a hurry just to get rid of traffic issues and now people are facing the same issues is a matter of concern.”
The CM had visited the Chandni Chowk flyover project at the end of August last year and directed that the old bridge be demolished to avoid traffic congestion. Accordingly, the old bridge was demolished using explosives on October 2, 2022 to facilitate smooth flow of traffic.
Talking about the ongoing work at Chandni Chowk, NHAI Pune project director Sanjay Kadam said, “The work of all the remaining service roads, ramps and other small parts is going on in full swing and by next month, as per our planning and instructions from the state and union government, it will be ready for inauguration.”
