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Traffic relief in sight as CM opens one arm of double-decker flyover at SPPU Chowk
The newly opened stretch, connecting Aundh to Shivajinagar, is expected to ease congestion on the busy Ganeshkhind Road
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will inaugurate the double-decker flyover at Savitribai Phule Pune University Chowk on Wednesday evening. The flyover has been constructed as an alternative measure to ease traffic congestion in this area, and following its inauguration on Wednesday, it will be opened to vehicular movement.
The newly opened stretch, connecting Aundh to Shivajinagar, is expected to ease congestion on the busy Ganeshkhind Road.
The ₹277-crore project is designed to improve traffic flow at Vidyapeeth Chowk and along Ganeshkhind Road. As part of the initiative, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has widened the stretch between Pune University and the Indian Agricultural College (RBI) to 45 metres.
“After the inauguration, one lane from Aundh to Shivajinagar will be open to vehicles. The ramps at both ends are complete, while the Baner and Pashan ramps will be finished by October 2025,” said Yogesh Mhase, metropolitan commissioner.
Construction on the stretch began in August 2022, following approvals from PMC, PMRDA, and other authorities. The project moved forward after the state government approved a supplementary concession agreement with the Metro Concessionaire Company in May 2020. Two older single-lane flyovers were demolished in August 2020 to make way for the new structure. A 55-metre steel girder has also been installed at University Square to facilitate smoother traffic movement.
Opposition slams delay
The opening has stirred political controversy. Congress state vice-president and former MLA Mohan Joshi alleged that completed flyovers on Ganeshkhind Road and Sinhagad Road were deliberately kept closed for political gain.
“Motorists are suffering. This flyover should have been opened long ago, but the ceremony was delayed to allow BJP leaders to claim credit,” Joshi said. He submitted a formal demand to Municipal commissioner Naval Kishore Ram on Monday for immediate public access.
Earlier, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) also accused the administration of stalling the project. On August 16, MNS workers attempted to unofficially inaugurate the flyover by breaking coconuts and cutting ribbons, but were stopped by police.
This isn’t the first time the MNS has acted on delayed infrastructure. In 2019, the party opened the Lullanagar flyover for public use a month ahead of its official inauguration by BJP MP Girish Bapat. Led by corporator Sainath Babar, MNS members symbolically launched the bridge by stopping the first helmeted motorcyclist crossing it.
