Pune’s Sadhu Vaswani Bridge Project Causes Gridlock on Day One of Traffic Diversion
Pune, 25th February 2024: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has initiated work on the Sadhu Vaswani Bridge, necessitating changes in traffic flow. The road leading to the bridge from Koregaon Park has been closed since February 26 for the ongoing construction work. In response, traffic in the area has been diverted since Saturday.
However, the first day of this traffic alteration saw significant disruptions. Vehicles took approximately 1 to 1.5 hours to traverse the 500-meter stretch between Nowrosjee Wadia College and Bund Garden. The sudden change in traffic patterns led to confusion among motorists, resulting in prolonged delays throughout the day. This situation is expected to persist for the next two years as the bridge construction work continues.
The traffic change related to the start of bridge work has caused significant disruptions in Pune. The altered traffic route, which came into effect on February 24, directs vehicles from Yerwada towards Hadapsar, Wanowrie, and Swargate to take a left turn at Blue Diamond Hotel Chowk. They are then required to proceed through Mangaldas Chowk, Wadia College, Vidhan Bhavan, and onwards.
However, the alternate route through Vidhan Bhawan, Nowrosjee Wadia College, and Pune Bund Garden involves a narrow road with barricades due to ongoing metro construction. The lack of planning for additional traffic police, wardens, notice boards, road information boards, unauthorized parking, and halting has resulted in traffic jams throughout the day. The confusion among motorists was exacerbated by the absence of clear information and organized arrangements, with some disruptions attributed to political leaders being present in the city.
