Pune: Massive Traffic Jam Hits Newly Inaugurated Flyover On Sinhagad Road A Day After Opening

Pune, 3rd May 2025: Just a day after its grand inauguration, the newly constructed flyover from Vitthalwadi Arch to Funtime Theater on Sinhagad Road witnessed severe traffic congestion, defeating its very purpose of easing the local commute. The flyover, expected to cut travel time to under five minutes, ended up causing delays of over 30 minutes as vehicles piled up in long queues stretching nearly a kilometre from the Vadgaon Signal Bridge.

The flyover is part of Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) larger initiative to tackle chronic traffic issues on Sinhagad Road by constructing three major flyovers from Rajaram Bridge to Funtime Theater. The entire project, costing ₹118 crore, saw its first milestone completed six months ago with the opening of the Rajaram Bridge Chowk flyover. The newly opened section, between Vitthalwadi and Funtime Theater, was inaugurated on Thursday (1st May) by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

While traffic on the opening day remained manageable due to the public holiday, the real challenge surfaced on Friday evening. As daily commuters heading towards Dhayari, Nanded City, Khadakwasla, and Vadgaon began using the flyover around 6:30 pm, heavy congestion built up at the Veer Baji Pasalkar Bridge Chowk. The tailback extended onto the flyover as an increasing volume of vehicles attempted to pass through the signal towards Dhayari.

The congestion was worsened by inadequate signal timing at Pasalkar Bridge, where vehicles headed towards Dhayari had insufficient time to pass through, causing a bottleneck. As a result, commuters who expected to cross the flyover in minutes found themselves stuck for nearly half an hour. The jam persisted until around 9 pm, when traffic finally began to ease.

Speaking on the matter, Aniruddha Pawaskar, Chief Engineer, Road Department stated, “We will coordinate with traffic police to increase signal timing at Pasalkar Bridge and remove unnecessary speed breakers. We will also take action against encroachments, illegal street vendors, and parked vehicles along the stretch from Funtime Theater to Vadgaon Bridge to keep the route clear.”