PUNE: A major road infrastructure project connecting Chandni Chowk and Bhugaon is set to be constructed after Pune Municipal Corporation invited a tender of Rs 164 crore for the 2.2-km corridor that will have a wide flyover, a bridge and an underpass.The project is set to improve traffic management on the Chandni Chowk-Bhugaon stretch, which is an important route for vehicles heading to Mulshi, the Konkan belt, Pirangut industrial belt and the fast developing residential areas around Bhugaon and Bhukum.The infrastructure package being planned is a huge sum of money for a road that’s only 2.2 km long.It also has a flyover of 60 meters width, a bridge of 70 meters length over Ram river and an underpass of 430 meters length near PVPIIT College junction. Service roads will be built on both sides of the flyover.With traffic volumes on the rise in Pune’s western and south-western parts, the project is being taken up.Civic officials said the population of Bhugaon, Bhukum and adjoining areas could touch nearly three lakh in the coming years, adding to the pressure on the road network which is already facing congestion.The Pune Municipal Corporation said it has acquired around 80% of the land required for the project. Officials said enough land is now available to begin the work and the tender process was completed within a month.The proposed flyover is expected to segregate the through traffic from the movements at the ground level and the underpass near the college junction is expected to improve the flow of traffic at another congestion point.The bridge over the Ram River is also a major piece for the corridor to be able to cross the watercourse while accommodating increasing traffic.The project is significant as the Chandni Chowk-Bhugaon road is not merely a local road. It connects Pune city fringe with Mulshi side and further ahead Konkan region. It also serves traffic to the industrial areas of Pirangut and developing residential colonies.The current congestion has become a daily headache for commuters. Local residents say they hope the proposed flyover will relieve traffic bottlenecks when the project is finished.But the latest development should be treated as a construction-stage milestone, not an immediate traffic fix. The PMC has floated the tender, secured most of the land, but the road infrastructure is still to be built.That distinction is important as Pune has had several large infrastructure projects go through approval, tendering and land acquisition before construction begins.The real test for the Chandni Chowk-Bhugaon project will, therefore, be whether work begins on schedule and the flyover, bridge and underpass are delivered within the promised timeline.If built as planned, the project could dramatically change the traffic flows along this 2.2-km corridor and add road capacity before the surrounding population grows further.
