PUNE: Commuters travelling across University Chowk may soon get some relief from regular traffic snarls. The Baner side ramp of the integrated double-decker flyover at the key junction is expected to open this week, PMRDA officials said on Monday.PMRDA chief engineer Rinaj Pathan told TOI that work on signage is underway and the flyover towards the BanerShivajinagar side should open by the end of this week. “The Pashan side will take longer as it will be completed within two to three months,” she said. Once fully opened, the flyover will reduce time, fuel consumption, traffic congestion and vehicular pollution in the corridor, Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) officials reiterated.Nearly 90% of the overall construction has been completed, with the remaining ramp works in the final stages. The Aundh–Shivajinagar (E-Square) corridor flyover opened to traffic in Aug 2025.The 1.7-km-long flyover features three-lane up-ramps from Aundh, Baner and Pashan that merge into a three-lane integrated double-decker bridge, shared with the Metro corridor above. The project features a unique structure withMetro on the upper deck and a dual-traffic flyover below, built on a single-pier system.Commuters said the opening is long overdue. “It takes nearly 45 minutes to cross University Chowk during peak hours,” a daily commuter said, adding that traffic congestion worsened due to pending ramp works.The delay in the Pashan side opening has been attributed to utility shifting and repair of a leaking water pipeline.Many commuters pointed out that this project has already been long delayed. In 2020, during the Covid lockdown, two existing single-lane flyovers at the junction had been demolished with govt approval and Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) consent to make way for the current integrated structure.
