Pune-Mumbai highway stretch near Bopodi likely to be widened soon

PIMPRI CHINCHWAD: People travelling via Pune-Mumbai highway can expect the stretch near Palange chawl in Bopodi to widen soon, as the chawl, which had been the major roadblock for the carriageway expansion, has finally been demolished.

Besides, the road widening work on the busy Bopodi Chowk on the highway is fast progressing and would ensure congestion-free travel on the stretch post-completion.

Around 12km stretch of the Pune-Mumbai highway from Nigdi to Harris bridge on Mula river in Dapodi lies in Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) limits. The highway from Harris bridge enters Bopodi in Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits, where it has four lanes.

The PMC had added another two lanes from Harris bridge to Palange chawl in Bopodi after the civic body constructed a parallel bridge to Harris bridge around two years ago. However, the vehicular traffic coming from Pimpri Chinchwad through the five lanes has to squeeze in just two lanes near Palange chawl. On the other hand, vehicles going to Shivajingar/Pune stop at the traffic signal, thereby, blocking the way of the vehicles taking a left turn towards Khadki bazaar. This leads to pile up of vehicles on the highway.

Corporator Sunita Wadekar told TOI, “One of the tenants in Palange chawl complained to the PMC that the chawl was on the verge of collapse. The PMC conducted a structural audit of the chawl and sent a notice to the owners, who later lost the case to the PMC in a lower court and then in the district court.”

The PMC provided flats to the chawl owners and tenants around 500 metre away and the structure was demolished few days back. Aniruddha Pawaskar, chief engineer, roads department, PMC, said, “We will tar the area in the next two to three days. This way, we will be able to create one more lane on the highway there.”

There are around a dozen of small houses and a building from Bopodi chowk to Sahyadri hospital, which would also be removed for the widening work.