E-Paper
Slow pace of work on Katraj-Navale bridge stretch irks commuters
Traffic congestion plagues commuters on Katraj-Navale bridge Road due to ongoing construction work. Residents demand better traffic management.
Commuters travelling through the underpasses on the Katraj-Navale bridge Road face harrowing time due to traffic congestion, especially during peak hours. While the road widening and new underpass work is ongoing, it is unlikely to function before June this year. So, residents demand better traffic management on the said stretch.
Vijay Darade, resident from Ambegaon said, “I have been staying in the area for the past 8-9 years, I have never experienced such traffic conditions in the area earlier. However, in the last two years, the traffic conditions have worsened. The number of heavy vehicles has increased which mostly use the narrow underpass near Ambegaon.”
“Surprisingly, the similar underpass which is hardly 1 km away from Ambegaon has restricted heavy vehicles’ entry, but it’s here the vehicles pass frequently leading to traffic jams on the narrow road on either side,” he said.
Nilesh Kumbhar, another resident, said, “There is a slope near Ambegaon, where the service road connects to the underpass. Every day I see many vehicles stranded on that stiff slope due to traffic jams. Many accidents happen as the driver loses control over the vehicle on the slope area. There should be strict traffic management at least during peak hours.”
Yuvraj Beldare, a former corporator of Bharti Vidyapeeth area, also keeps a constant follow-up on the work and mentioned about lack of coordination between the administration and the contractor. He also mentioned that the proposal for the construction new underpass near D-mart was sent recently, hence this work has got an extension till April 2024.
“Currently, work is underway to widen the Rajamata underpass near Dattanagar. The new underpass near D-mart is likely to start in April 2024. Simultaneously, the service road near the Ambegaon underpass is also in the process ad all this work is likely to be completed by June. Once the entire work is completed commuters will experience smooth travel on the road,” he said.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), meanwhile, is planning to remove encroachment on either side of the roads that create traffic hurdles.
Savita Dhamdhere, senior police inspector, traffic branch, Bharti Vidyapeeth police station, said, “The department is aware of the traffic conditions on the said road, we keep deploying our officers from time to time to ease the traffic congestion, however, due to the manpower crunch sometimes the situation gets difficult.”
“We are now planning to appoint more wardens in the areas where traffic gets congested. I will also communicate with the contractor to deploy additional manpower in this area,” said Dhamdhere.
