Range Hills Chowk-Shivajinagar stretch to reopen

Pune: Relief is in sight for commuters using the busy University Road as the city traffic police department plans to reopen the Range Hills Chowk to Shivajinagar stretch for vehicular traffic in the next few days.
The ongoing Metro works, for which blocks had been placed on this route for months now, have reached the final stages, said officials.
Since last year, vehicles coming from University Chowk towards Shivajinagar have been travelling via Sinchannagar Road-Agriculture College to accommodate the Metro work.
Commuters have long complained that the re-routing has increased travel time. There has been a constant clamour to restore the route to reduce daily hardships for motorists.
Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) of the Pune police traffic department, Amol Zende, on Friday said steps are being initiated now to reopen the stretch ahead of Range Hills Chowk for vehicles in a phased manner over the next four to five days. "We are working on a proposal and details are being finalised," he told TOI.
The traffic police are making necessary arrangements to ensure smoother traffic flow on the stretch alongside Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), which is constructing the Hinjewadi-Shivajinagar elevated Metro line here.
Two Metro stations will also come up on the route ahead of Range Hills Chowk towards Shivajinagar. Besides the Metro's viaduct, work on a flyover is also underway on the road.
Commuter Ranjit Kelkar, who often travels via University Road to reach Shivajinagar from Baner, said commuters have struggled with chaotic traffic here for the last two years. "All we want is for the administration to finish the Metro and flyover work at the earliest without delays. Our concern is that there has been a continuous extension of deadlines because of some or other reason," Kelkar pointed out.
For commuters coming from Aundh and Baner, the traffic restrictions start even before reaching SPPU Chowk. Bharti Rahane, a resident of Pashan, told TOI, "Travel time has increased interminably because of so much re-routing. The authorities must remove barricading from the stretches where works are finished or in the final stages."