Nagpur: A narrowed carriageway due to construction of the Rs619-crore Chinchbhuvan-MIhan Interchange flyover, coupled with wrong-side driving and heavy vehicular movement, is causing bumper-to-bumper traffic on Wardha Road, particularly during peak hours.Commuters say the Nagpur-to-Butibori journey, which used to take around 20 minutes, now takes close to 45 minutes.The flyover project, aimed at removing bottlenecks at Chinchbhuvan, is being executed by the National Highway division of the state Public Works Department (PWD).Earlier, PWD had removed the dividers on the stretch, effectively merging the service road with the narrowed carriageway — a move that initially helped ease congestion.However, as flyover work progressed closer to Chinchbhuvan, traffic has worsened, with vehicles backing up for long stretches during office hours.Acknowledging the problem, PWD executive engineer Shrikant Dhage said the main traffic jam occurs near the educational institute during peak hours, while wrong-side driving is also a major issue.“We have carried out a spot visit and will implement measures within the next three days. We are considering closing the divider cutting, after which people will have to travel around half a kilometre more, but it will smoothen traffic,” Dhage told TOI.The disruption is particularly significant for long-distance traffic arriving from Hyderabad, Wardha, Yavatmal, Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra.Under the project, a 2.69-km-long, six-lane flyover will be constructed from the existing Chinchbhuvan flyover to the MIHAN Interchange. The plan also includes reconstruction of the road beneath the flyover, widening an additional 3.05-km stretch near the interchange to six lanes and construction of five culverts.The contract was awarded to a Bhopal-based firm at a cost of Rs332 crore, with the work scheduled for completion by November 2027.Officials maintain that once completed, the upgraded corridor will improve road safety and traffic flow along the heavily used Wardha Road stretch. For now, however, commuters continue to bear the brunt of the construction-related disruption.
