Pune Infra Watch: PMRDA begins work on integrated flyover on Ganeshkhind road

The start of actual work on the flyover was postponed many times in the past and it was to start in October last year. It was again delayed after the traffic passing through Chandani Chowk on the Bengaluru-Mumbai bypass was diverted due to multi level flyover construction work at the location.

After that, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) shifted the electric cables, water and drainage pipelines on the Ganeshkhind road while widening the existing road. This led to traffic chaos on the Ganeshkhind road and the district administration had to direct the PMRDA to stop the work of the metro rail during the G20 meet in January.

The work has begun now as the traffic at Chandani Chowk has come down. Also, the PMC has completed shifting of utility services on the stretch where the flyover is set to come up. Traffic management is done by making a few roads one-way.

The Ganeshkhind road is the main road for commuters travelling between Pune and Hinjewadi, Baner, Balewadi, Mulshi, part of Pimpri-Chinchwad and Mumbai. The traffic density on the road has been increasing with rapid urbanisation.

In July 2020, the administration demolished two flyovers on Ganeshkhind Road during the Covid-induced lockdown following complaints of massive traffic snarls along the busy road for years. Even the third elevated Metro rail route from Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar, passing through the Ganeshkhind road from the Pune University junction to Shivajinagar, further added to the existing traffic chaos. So, the administration decided to construct a new flyover and integrated metro rail route structures.

The project consists of an integrated double-decker flyover with ramps, to connect three roads with the Ganeshkhind road with a metro rail route on the top of the flyover and four underpasses for a smooth flow of traffic on the only main road that connects Pune to Aundh, Baner, Pashan, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and the new Bengaluru-Mumbai bypass.

According to the plan, the PMRDA will construct the double-decker flyover with the metro rail on top and four ramps to connect three roads via the flyover with the Ganeshkhind road while the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will construct four underpasses.

Three vehicle underpasses are on Ganeshkhind road with one at Pune university junction to connect with Aundh, and two others at Harikrishna chowk and Sancheti chowk to provide hassle-free traffic movement on the road. The fourth underpass will be at Abhimanshri on the Pashan road.

The 881-metre-long double-decker flyover will have six lanes; There will be a 260-metre-long ramp on the Aundh side with two lanes, a 140-metre-long ramp on the Baner side with four lanes, a 135-metre-long ramp on the Pashan side with two lanes, and a 130-metre-long ramp on the Ganeshkhind side with six lanes.