Rebuilding of Deccan causeway on the anvil

PUNE, Nov 27: The causeway that the floods washed away in August 1997- linking Kelkar road at Narayan Peth to PMT bus stand at Deccan Gymkhana, will be built again to ease the traffic congestion at Alka Talkies chowk. The Pune Municipal Corporation’s estimates committee today worked out the cost of constructing the causeway (submersible bridge) amounting to Rs 52.75 lakh.

The proposal will come up for approval at the meeting of city improvement committee on Wednesday, BJP corporator Vikas Mathkari told media persons. An enquiry committee including members Mathkari, Sanjay Balgude, Manohar Nande, Chandrakant Godse and others had been appointed after the causeway built in 1996 at a cost of Rs 15 lakh had been washed away due to the floods.

The members who had submitted their report had observed that due to the faulty design, the bridge could not withstand the discharge of over 90,000 cusecs of water. However, learning a lesson while attempting to re-build the causeway, efforts will be taken to construct 15 straight pillars and have semi-circle kind of arches to withstand the maximum flow of water. The causeway will be 84.5 mts long, 12 mts wide and will be open to two-wheeler and three-wheelers. Footpath space of 1.5 mts on both sides of has been proposed. The height had been increased by another two metres. Nande said since the Lakadi bridge is banned for two-wheelers, the proposed causeway could well be a boon.