Traffic chokes at Wadgaon Budruk Chowk after new Sinhagad Road flyover opens; PMC & traffic police take steps to smoothen flow

Pune: The PMC and traffic police are working on various measures to maintain smooth flow of vehicles descending from the newly opened flyover on Sinhagad Road, including clearing space at the Wadgaon Budruk Chowk that ends at an intersection under the Katraj-Dehu Road Bypass. On Monday evening, once again, massive vehicular congestion was observed along the entire route.
After the flyover opened on May 1, it was observed that vehicles took more time to cross the busy chowk at the Katraj-Dehu Road Bypass intersection after descending from the flyover, leading to long queues and chaos.

In the last four days, teams from the traffic police department and Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) have visited the said chowk to assess the situation. Civic officials said it has been decided to free up space at the chowk to enable vehicles to take a left turn towards Wadgaon and the bypass without hassles.
The traffic police are also checking if there is a need to recalibrate the traffic signal at the chowk to ensure that vehicles do not have to wait long.
The 2.2km flyover, starting ahead of Rajaram Bridge on Sinhagad Road and ending at Fun Time Theatre Chowk in Wadgaon, opened for vehicles last week, amid a rising clamour from commuters for some resolution from traffic snarls on the vital route.
Civic officials also said that prima facie, they see no fault in the flyover design. "The problem faced by vehicles pertains to traffic flow at the chowk a few metres ahead of the flyover exit. The speed of vehicles has increased due to the flyover. More vehicles are landing just a few metres ahead of the chowk," a civic official told TOI.
Regular commuters in the Wadgaon area, however, said adequate measures should have been put in place anticipating this new rush of vehicles. Local political activist Mahesh Pokale said, "The authorities failed to take steps, leading to traffic chaos during rush hours. Travellers are facing hardships due to this mismanagement. We have suggested coming up with a proper plan to ensure that traffic flow stays smooth through the day and even after the flyover's second wing opens, catering to vehicles towards Rajaram Bridge."
Nanded City Road resident Ashish Deshpande said that the turning towards the bypass has been made narrow. "Traffic police should allow free left turns at the spot. This will reduce halting of vehicles at the junction considerably. However, for this, the authorities have to make adequate provisions," he added.