Nagpur: The National Highway (NH) division of the state Public Works Department (PWD) has missed the deadline for completing concretisation of the busy Wardha Road stretch between Rahate Colony Square and RBI Square. Now, the department has extended the deadline to complete the 2.6km project by another 10 months.Citizens, already irked over the slow pace of work, will have to endure the traffic nightmare caused by the concretisation work for almost a year more. With portions of the road being closed and work progressing in phases, commuters have been facing inconvenience while navigating one of the city’s key traffic corridors. The project was scheduled to be completed by September.Of the total 2.6km stretch, PWD has so far completed concretisation on both sides between Rahate Colony and Panchsheel Square. The department has currently closed the Panchsheel Square to Rani Jhansi Square stretch to traffic to facilitate the ongoing work.Though the work has been delayed, motorists have appreciated the increased width of the road on the completed stretch. The widening is particularly visible near the landing of Shaheed Gowari Flyover on the Rahate Colony side.Speaking to TOI, a senior PWD official acknowledged the slow pace of work and attributed the delay to heavy traffic and difficulties in obtaining permissions for traffic diversions. “This is a heavy traffic area. Also, the work was stopped many times due to the movement of VIP cavalcades on the route. However, we are planning to complete the work in the next 10 months,” the official said.The Rs 25 crore work is part of the larger Wardha Road concretisation project. The project also includes construction of footpaths and cycle tracks. However, no visible work related to the proposed cycle tracks has been undertaken so far, raising concerns among road users about whether they will be a part of the project. PWD officials said cycle tracks, wherever feasible, would be taken up after the entire road work is completed.PWD is executing the work in phases due to the heavy traffic on National Highway-44. Wardha Road is one of the key arterial routes in Nagpur and carries substantial traffic throughout the day.
