Nagpur: Thousands of commuters using the busy Inner Ring Road between Manewada and Mhalgi Nagar are set to endure traffic congestion and pothole-ridden roads for at least another two years.Work on the third structure of the ambitious 3-in-1 flyover project is yet to begin. The World Bank Division of the state public works department (PWD) awarded the contract in May, nearly 15 months after the project received administrative approval.Under the contract, the connecting flyover has a 24-month construction period from the date work begins, pushing completion of the entire 2.8-km elevated corridor by at least two years.The delay comes on top of the disruption caused by construction of the first two flyovers, which began before the connecting link was approved, leaving carriageways narrowed and traffic disrupted. The ongoing monsoon has worsened the situation, with potholes turning into waterlogged craters and vehicles crawling through the corridor during peak hours.Regular commuter Sameer Raut said the journey has become increasingly frustrating. “It already takes nearly half an hour to negotiate just a few barricaded stretches. Once work on the connecting flyover begins, the commute could easily stretch to 45 minutes or even an hour,” he said.Union minister Nitin Gadkari laid the foundation stone for the ₹73-crore flyovers at Manewada and Mhalgi Nagar in August 2024. During the event, he proposed linking the two structures to create a continuous elevated corridor. The state govt granted administrative approval for the connecting flyover in February 2025, transforming the project into a single 2.8-km continuous elevated corridor.To accommodate the revised design, PWD removed the descending ramp after Manewada Square and the ascending ramp before Mhalgi Nagar Square from the original plan, allowing all three flyovers to merge seamlessly.PWD executive engineer Krusha Gharde told TOI the connecting flyover contract was awarded for ₹106 crore against an administrative approval of ₹185 crore on May 15 this year.“The connecting flyover was planned later, which delayed the project. We have submitted the General Arrangement Drawing (GAD) for approval and expect clearance within the next 15 days. Work will begin immediately after approval. Since all three flyovers are interconnected, the project cannot be completed until the third flyover is finished, and its construction period is 24 months from the start of work,” she said.Gharde said the department carries out regular patchwork on the damaged stretch, but heavy traffic quickly wears away the repairs. “We cannot completely stop traffic because it is one of the city’s busiest corridors,” she added.Project: 3-in-1 Manewada–Mhalgi Nagar Flyover.Status: Two flyovers at Manewada and Mhalgi Nagar are currently under construction, the third flyover work yet to begin.Initial Cost: The two flyovers have an administrative approval of ₹73 crore each , while their tenders were awarded for less than ₹50 crore each.Length: The combined project will create a 2.80-km continuous elevated corridor.Connecting flyover: Administrative approval of ₹185 crore; tender awarded for ₹106 crore.Tender awarded: May 15, 2026.Completion timeline: Connecting flyover has a 24-month construction period after work starts.Design changes: Descending ramp after Manewada and ascending ramp before Mhalgi Nagar were removed to create one uninterrupted flyover.
