The project is estimated to cost Rs 45 crore and would be completed in 24 months after the issuing of the work order, an official said. (Express Photo)Commuters facing issues while travelling on the Sinhagad Road due to the ongoing construction of a flyover on the main road are likely to see some respite in the next few years. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will take up the construction of a 30-metre wide bridge on the Mutha River from the Suncity Road in Hingane Khurd to Dudhane lawns in Karvenagar.
“The civic administration has undertaken the work of constructing the bridge on the Mutha River as proposed in the Development Plan (DP) of the city. It will connect the Sinhagad Road area to Karvenagar and divert a lot of traffic from the main Sinhagad Road,” said an official of the civic body.
The project is estimated to cost Rs 45 crore and would be completed in 24 months after the issuing of the work order, the official said, adding the tender has been floated for the work. The work includes constructing a 500-metre long road, including a 220-metre bridge, on the river which will be on 16 pillars.
At present, residents of the Sinhagad Road area from Hingane Khurd to Khadakwasla as well as those from Narhe and Ambegaon in city limits, from out of the city limits on Panshet Road, and those entering the city from the Mumbai-Bangalore bypass use the Sinhagad Road. They have to face traffic chaos throughout the day, but mostly during the peak hours in the morning and evening as there are no other means of connectivity between the city to the area. The ongoing construction of the flyover has also added to the traffic problems due to the non-availability of alternate roads. Even though the PMC recently opened another small road parallel to the Sinhagad Road, there has not been much respite for commuters.
The Pune Metro rail route is also planned from the middle of the Sinhagad Road from Swargate to Khadakwasla. The barricading for work on the Pune Metro rail is further going to narrow the already narrow Sinhagad Road and the bridge on the river is likely to ease the load on the road.
In the last few years, the population of the area has increased many times due to rapid urbanisation and also because the state government extended the city boundary from Vadgaon Dhayari to Khadakwasla. The high population density has also happened because of the growth in real estate in the area, which has two big townships Nanded City and DSK Vishwa in the Dhayari area. There are several educational institutions, including the Sinhagad Institute campus, Navale Hospital, engineering colleges, and schools in the area.
Residents said the new bridge would divert a lot of traffic from the existing bridges, which face snarls frequently. Rajesh Banatwala, who lives in the Sinhagad Road area, said there is only Rajaram bridge, other than the Mumbai-Bangalore bypass if anyone wanted to go to the other side of the river.
“The civic body should have developed alternate roads before taking up flyover work and planned metro rail route on Sinhagad road as it is the only main road that connects the area to the city. The construction of the bridge on the Mutha River is going to provide a big relief to commuters but it would have been better if it was constructed earlier,” said Banatwala.