PMC dismantles FOB at Vishrantwadi Chowk
However, work on the new flyover and underpass might begin only after passing of the Palkhi (procession) of Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj
The night of Thursday, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) finished dismantling the entire foot-overbridge (FOB) at Dr Mukundrao Ambedkar Chowk in Vishrantwadi to make room for a new flyover and underpass. However, work on the new flyover and underpass might begin only after passing of the Palkhi (procession) of Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj.
Ajay Wayse, executive engineer, project department of the PMC, said, “Due to less traffic movement on Sunday, we dismantled two arms of the FOB Sunday night without disturbing the traffic. As per the traffic police instructions, the remaining portion of the FOB was dismantled and lowered successfully Thursday night.”
“At present, some portion of the FOB has been kept on the Prateek Nagar roadside. We will relocate and dismantle the FOB at Prateek Nagar on the Vishrantwadi-Alandi Road near the Sathe Biscuit Company bus stop. Another portion of the FOB will be used to connect the College of Engineering Pune (COEP) hostel to the COEP ground. Some changes will have to be made in the existing FOB structure while relocating the FOB at these two locations,” Wayse said.
Flyover work to begin after the Palkhi (procession)
The PMC has already carried out soil testing for the flyover and grade separator project. After dismantling the FOB, the PMC plans to begin excavation work. However, the Palkhi of Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj will begin its journey from Alandi on June 29 and pass through Vishrantwadi Road. Because of this, the police are not ready to give permission for starting the flyover work. If the PMC does not start the work soon, a whole month will be wasted. Therefore, the PMC has requested the traffic police to allow the work to begin. The PMC has also asked the traffic police to use the defence establishment’s Tank Road for vehicular traffic. The junction, which leads to five roads, is plagued by encroachment, illegal parking and beggars.
Nearly a decade after the old FOB was constructed in 2014 at a cost of around ₹7 crore, the PMC has opted for a flyover and grade separator solution at Dr Mukundrao Ambedkar Chowk in Vishrantwadi to ease the daily traffic jams that cause commuters a delay of nearly 15 to 30 minutes. The estimated cost of this project is ₹63 crore. The Vishrantwadi flyover is 630.12 metres long and seven metres wide, supported by 11 pillars. It extends 197.12 metres towards Alandi and 142 metres towards Lohegaon.