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Residents use Sus-Pashan bridge before PMC’s official inauguration
The constant changing of completion dates of the bridge connecting Pashan to Susgaon forced the residents to start using the completed stretch over the Bengaluru-Mumbai highway from September 4
The constant changing of completion dates of the bridge connecting Pashan to Susgaon forced the residents to start using the completed stretch over the Bengaluru-Mumbai highway from September 4, 2022.
With a huge board proclaiming the grampanchyat of Sutarwadi and Sus village to open the bridge for residents, the bridge is now in use without the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) officially inaugurating it.
Sameer Uttarkar, a resident of Sutarwadi, “The action by the residents was taken when PMC kept on changing their deadline for bridge opening. They gave us three deadlines — August 2021; August 15, 2022; and August 31. The bridge was ready but it seems they have no one to officially inaugurate it. Hence, Pashan, Sutarwadi and Sus Road residents unofficially opened the bridge.”
The bridge is the only means of direct connectivity for residents living in Susgaon and Lavale. “For the past two years, we have taken longer routes, spend hours in traffic just to reach home or to get out of our area to reach the city. It was high time for PMC also to listen to our pleas,” said Anand Ghajbiye.
For autorickshaw driver Jayaprakash Gade, it was overuse of CNG and turning down passengers to Susgaon.
“Although I live in Susgaon, I could not ferry passengers as several hours are lost in traffic. There is not a single CNG pump nearby, so, instead of making money, I turned down passengers. With the bridge open, we are cutting down on travel time and happy to take passengers to Susgaon.”
Ajay Wayase, executive engineer, PMC, special projects said, “The bridge is ready except for some minor things like fitting cat-eye studs, tarring in some parts. We are waiting for orders to officially open the bridge. We are aware that residents have started using it.”
The 18-metre-wide new bridge accommodates more vehicles than the existing Pashan-Sus bridge which is eight metres wide and inadequate for the increasing traffic belonging to residential societies and IT companies in Hinjewadi and Sus.
The new flyover will connect the Mumbai-Bengaluru national highway to Sus and Pashan with a 350-metre road from its west side. The proposal for the new bridge was put forward a few years ago by corporator Baburao Chandere.
The work was overseen by the special project department of PMC under the guidelines of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The total cost of the project was Rs40 crore.
Since the construction of the bridge started in 2020, commuters had to use a longer route as the alternate Sus road via Supreme headquarters to Nanaware subway leading to increase in traffic for Hinjewadi IT park.
