Indore: IDA draws facelift, four-lane plan for Shastri Bridge

The 62-year-old Shastri Bridge, connecting two major parts of Indore, will undergo a huge facelift and be developed into a four-lane one.

The 62-year-old Shastri Bridge, connecting two major parts of Indore, will undergo a huge facelift and be developed into a four-lane one.

The-62-year-old-Shastri-Bridge-has-developed-cracks-over-a-period-of-time-Utsav-Jain-HT-photo

“The bridge has undergone a lot of wear and tear, and has withstood the adversities of all kinds of weather all these years; it is high time we upgrade it into a four-lane bridge for the safety and convenience of the citizens,” said Shankar Lalwani, chairman of Indore Development Authority (IDA).

The proposal for widening the bridge was discussed and approved by the board members in a meeting held on Wednesday.

He said: “The low height and narrow width of the bridge is also obstructing the railways from expanding the railway station, introducing more rail lines underneath.”

At present, the gap between the base of the bridge and high-tension electric lines passing underneath is merely a couple of inches; the height of the bridge will be increased at least by a meter, he said.

On several occasions, the railways have asked the district authorities for the bridge’s uplift, as it will give them enough space for expansion of both platforms one and four and attach more bogies with the trains. The expansion will also allow the authorities to connect the new platforms with the old one.

The 448-meter-long Shastri Bridge was constructed in 1953 and has served as one of the important links in connecting the new Indore in the west and old Indore in the east.

Lalwani said: “We will conduct a feasibility survey and obtain land from the government and the railways if needed.”

The traffic will, however, be allowed to flow while the bridge is under construction.

“We will try to come up with some mechanism so that the construction work does not obstruct the normal flow of traffic,” he said. The board also discussed the construction of several flyovers in the city in order to ease the perennial issue of traffic congestion.

The board has given its nod to conduct a feasibility survey and traffic flow analysis at Vijay Nagar roundabout, Palasia square, Tower square, Bengali square, Shivaji Vatika square and Mhow Naka.