Under-construction flyovers worsening traffic woes

While the PMC claims it has undertaken construction of these flyovers under the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) to ease congestion in the city, Punekars have a different story to tell

At a time when the ongoing construction of so many flyovers is causing severe traffic congestion at various locations in the city, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has raised eyebrows by proposing eight new flyovers and grade separators in its 2024-25 budget.

The PMC expects the six-lane Katraj flyover, currently under construction, to facilitate the smooth flow of traffic between Navale Bridge and Kondhwa. (HT PHOTO)

Vikas Dhakane, additional municipal commissioner, said, “We are constructing flyovers in different parts of the city to resolve traffic problems in the long term. It is true that people are suffering due to traffic jams as flyover works are underway at Katraj, Pune University, Sinhagad Road and Koregaon Park but we are trying our best to resolve the traffic problems as early as possible.”

While the PMC claims it has undertaken construction of these flyovers under the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) to ease congestion in the city, Punekars have a different story to tell.

SPPU junction on Ganesh Khind Road

The Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) junction is among the busiest junctions in the city and handles traffic from Pashan, Baner, Aundh, Ganesh Khind Road and Senapati Bapat Road. Currently, the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) is constructing a two-tier flyover on Ganesh Khind Road at Pune University Chowk whereas the PMC is widening Ganesh Khind Road for Pune Metro line 3 (Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar). As a result, commuters are facing severe traffic congestion on Ganesh Khind Road, especially at Pune University Chowk.

The Pune traffic police have recently improvised the earlier traffic diversion plan after police commissioner Amitesh Kumar’s visit. Shashikant Borate, deputy police commissioner (traffic), said, “We are regulating traffic by implementing traffic diversion plans in all areas where the flyover work is going on. Recently, we revised the traffic diversion plan at the SPPU junction. It is now working well. In Koregaon Park, Ghorpadi ROB will release traffic pressure at Koregaon Park and Wadia College.”

However, Rajanand More, who works with a media house at Aundh Road, said, “Traffic police have revised diversion plans. But this has not improved traffic problems. Due to the flyover work, the road has become narrow at Pune University Chowk and therefore, there is a logjam at the chowk.”

Sinhagad Road

Sinhagad Road is the only road which connects Khadakwasla, Dhayari, Vadgaon Budruk, Hingne, Narhe, Ambegaon Budruk and Anandnagar to the central parts of the city. It is also the only road which connects to popular tourist destinations such as Panshet, Varasgaon, Khadakwasla Dam and Sinhagad Fort.

The PMC is currently constructing two flyovers: one from Vithalwadi to Rajaram Bridge, and the other from Vithalwadi to Fun Time Multiplex. The civic body expects to complete the Vithalwadi-Rajaram Bridge flyover by the end of March and open it to the public. Due to the lack of an alternate road however, there is traffic congestion between Rajaram Bridge and Fun Time Multiplex.

Devidas Deshpande, a commuter, said, “Uneven carriageway is slowing down traffic on Sinhagad Road and testing the commuters’ patience. On some stretches, the width has become so narrow that not even two small cars can pass at one time,” Deshpande said.

Katraj Chowk

The PMC expects the six-lane Katraj flyover, currently under construction, to facilitate the smooth flow of traffic between Navale Bridge and Kondhwa. The civic body expects the flyover to reduce vehicular queues around the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) bus stand, Katraj Mandai, Satara Road and Wonder City. Dhakane said, “In Katraj, we are shifting the PMPML buses to the side of the road, and removing encroachments. Besides that, we have taken private land to widen the road at the chowk.” According to Dhakane, this will ease traffic congestion at Katraj Chowk and Rajas Chowk. However, only 35% of the flyover has been completed and commuters are demanding that work be speeded up to ease their traffic woes.

“It’s been more than three years since work on the flyover started and it’s nowhere near completion with initial deadlines already missed. We don’t know how much more time it’s going to take,” said Kalpana Raote, a banker and local resident.

Sadhu Vaswani ROB at Koregaon Park

The PMC has decided to demolish the Sadhu Vaswani Rail-overbridge (ROB) between Koregaon Park and Pune Cantonment due to safety concerns. However, with the bridge closed, vehicles are being rerouted along narrow roads bordered by hospitals, government buildings and Army headquarters. This has significantly increased travel time, with citizens now spending up to one-and-a-half hours to cover just half-a-kilometre on these alternate routes.

Dhakane said, “We are trying our best to resolve traffic problems as early as possible. We are working closely with the traffic police to resolve problems. We are removing encroachments, widening roads, and implementing the best traffic diversion plans in areas where flyover construction is underway. We appeal to people to cooperate as the PMC is constructing flyovers to resolve traffic problems.”