Pune: Demolition Of Sadhu Vaswani Flyover Begins, Traffic Woes To Ease With New Bridge Construction

5 July 2024

The civic administration has finally kicked off the demolition of the Sadhu Vaswani rail over bridge in the Koregaon Park area. Commuters and local residents have been really frustrated about the traffic jams in that area for weeks now, blaming the diversions set up to facilitate this long-pending project.

As per the Pune Municipal Corporation’s plan, the demolition of the current bridge and the construction of a new one will take around one-and-a-half years. During this time, traffic will be rerouted via Mangaldas Road, Bund Garden Road, and Dhole Patil Road. However, regular commuters along this route have noted that the congestion has worsened.

The residents of the surrounding area are taking a stand on the traffic issues in the area and pushing for improvements. Mohan Joshi and the forum are highlighting the lack of progress in vehicular flow despite the diversions that have been in place for weeks. Joshi has set a deadline of July 10 for the authorities to enhance the traffic plan; otherwise, they are suggesting a reevaluation of the current diversions. The citizens are understandably frustrated with the chaos they face daily.

Under the current diversion plan, vehicles can’t turn onto Mangaldas Road from Wadia College as it’s now a one-way route from Blue Diamond Chowk to Wadia College. Vehicles coming from Ghorpadi Road towards Koregaon Park need to follow the route via Council Hall Chowk, Inspection Bungalow Chowk, Wadia College Chowk, and Bund Garden Road.

It’s clear that road users are feeling the impact of the diversions at these junctions, leading to increased travel times and traffic chaos. Many working in Yerwada’s Business Park often find it difficult to drive from the Council Hall chowk as congestion mounts. There’s a call for authorities to address the long queues of vehicles at these junctions, as commuters have been dealing with detours for many weeks now. On the bright side, civic officials have now received approval from the railways and traffic police department to proceed with the bridge demolition. Demolition has already begun, and the officials plan to start the foundation work for the new bridge in the coming days. This development is expected to streamline the process and save time in the long run.

It’s understandable that road users are frustrated with the current situation regarding the traffic diversions and the resulting chaos at the junctions. The delays and detours have been causing inconvenience for many weeks now. On the positive side, the approval for the demolition of the bridge and the plans for a new bridge construction seem like a step towards addressing these issues and potentially improving the traffic flow in the area. Hopefully, this upcoming change will bring some relief to commuters facing these challenges.

Joyville