Pune: Heavy traffic spell in Koregaon Park as road closes for demolition for Sadhu Vaswani bridge work

27 May, 2024

Pune- The closure of the Sadhu Vaswani Bridge for demolition has caused heavy traffic jams in the Koregaon Park, Nathan road, Mangaldas road area. Citizens of the area are being greatly inconvenienced by the newly introduced diversion routes. 

“We need to be informed by the traffic department why Mangaldas Road and Bundgarden Road need to be one-way. The citizens feel that once the bridge is closed, the situation must go back to normal and the roads should open up in both directions”, expressed Sathi Nair. 

Currently, the increased number of two-wheelers and four-wheelers will only add to the traffic jam as they would have to go right around even if their destination is nearby. 

The Pune Traffic Police issued an advisory over the diversion of routes as the PMC plans to demolish the bridge and construct a new one. As per the police, the road will remain closed till further notice from May 26.  

“We have been facing this problem for four months and the traffic is becoming increasingly unbearable day by day. The bridge has been converted into a one-way which connects to Mangaldas Road yet many commuters don’t abide by the rules and come from the opposite direction which causes even more congestion. Other lanes should be opened up so vehicles can go from an alternate route instead of getting stuck at one position for an extended period of time”, said Ankit Agarwal. 

Another resident complained that the barrier put up by the authorities is completely blocking the Tanishq shop junction. People cannot even cross the road. Police have been asking people to jump over the barriers to cross the road. It is practically impossible. These barriers cannot be moved too as they are very heavy. The PMPML passengers are wandering across the area to find their bus stops. This is total chaos by the authorities. 

Citizens are also concerned about how ambulances and fire engines will adapt to these diversions. The Mangaldas Road is packed with vehicles with congestion extending from Yerwada to the Residency Club. 

Pune Pulse tried contacting Koregaon Park traffic division official but he remained unavailable for any comment.