Pune: Sinhagad Road Flyover Project Faces Hurdle As Flawed Pillar Forces Demolition
Pune, 30th August 2023: A setback has emerged in the construction progress of a key pillar of the Sinhagad Road flyover, with implications reaching the traffic congestion. Quality inspection has revealed that a segment of the flyover pillar fails to meet the required criteria.
Consequently, the municipal administration has been compelled to demolish a portion of the pillar located in the Santosh Hall area. This revelation follows an earlier episode where substandard pillars for the metro line came to light, underscoring significant flaws in the municipal corporation’s planning.
As a result, a course correction was necessary for the flyover’s alignment to accommodate the planned metro line, leading to both wastage of resources and anticipated traffic disruptions over the next few days.
The Municipal Corporation has undertaken the construction of a flyover spanning from Rajaram Bridge to Funtime Cinema to address the chronic traffic congestion on Sinhagad Road. The project has achieved 50% completion, and the municipal corporation aims to open the flyover to traffic by the close of the upcoming year. In tandem with girder construction, ten pillars have been erected for the flyover, including those between Santosh Hall and Vitthalwadi. These pillars underwent scrutiny via a quality assessment conducted by municipal authorities. During this evaluation, it was discovered that the pillar at Santosh Hall Junction exhibited subpar workmanship. The pillar’s quality was evaluated as ‘M-30,’ indicating deficiencies, and thus, the decision to demolish a three-meter segment was taken.
The initiation of the Sinhagad Road flyover project faced delays. Presently, the ongoing construction has significantly deteriorated the road condition, leading to frustrating traffic congestion for motorists. Prior reports have highlighted that the initial flyover plans did not account for the proposed metro route, necessitating revisions before the project commencement. Accordingly, the flyover’s route was reconfigured to allocate space for the anticipated metro pillars.
Statistics indicate a staggering daily traffic volume of 125,000 vehicles on this road. In response to this challenge, four alternative solutions were devised to alleviate traffic congestion. Among these options, a 495-meter-long flyover is slated for construction at Rajaram Bridge Chowk to accommodate Swargate-bound vehicles, while a 2,120-meter-long flyover will stretch from Rajaram Bridge to Funtime Cinema, catering to traffic bound for Sinhagad. The double-traffic bridge is planned at a width of 16.3 meters, with the single-traffic version at 8.150 meters. This extensive flyover endeavor will streamline traffic flow across a 2.74 km stretch.
Following the quality inspection, the identified segment of the pillar has been razed, and reconstruction is underway. The financial repercussions of this corrective action will not burden the municipal corporation, as the restoration work is the responsibility of the contractor. Ajay Waise, Executive Engineer at Pune Municipal Corporation, confirmed these developments.
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