Residents and commuters continue to face heavy traffic congestion, especially during peak hours, despite the inauguration of two new flyovers on Sinhagad Road. Commuters are frustrated and dissatisfied with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pune traffic police for poor planning and mismanagement.
Residents speak up
Chandan Prakash, a commuter, said, “The new flyover from Rajaram Bridge to Fun Time Multiplex was expected to bypass five major junctions and thereby significantly ease traffic. However, it has merely shifted the congestion to the signal under Wadgaon Bridge, which has become a bottleneck, and traffic is now getting gridlocked due to inadequate road infrastructure and signal timing issues. We are facing heavy traffic amid the rain, and it is causing a lot of inconvenience.”
Vineet Sehgal, another resident, said, “Heavy traffic is there on Sinhagad Road, especially at the Wadgaon junction. The flyover was expected to ease the traffic, but the congestion issue has shifted a few meters ahead, creating a bottleneck at the junction. It is troublesome for the commuters headed towards Erandwane. As of now, the road layout offers less space for vehicles turning right into Rajaram Bridge, causing traffic congestion.”
Sidharth Rao, another resident, said, “The traffic is insane and is poorly managed. The vehicles get stuck for 15 to 20 minutes just trying to make the right turn towards Erandwane. The roads are narrow, and there are four to five bottlenecks in this area. There is no channelising, thus making the situation even worse.”
New flyover to open next month
API Raja Rajkumar Barde said, "The bottleneck at Wadgaon junction and the traffic in the area is because of the construction work of the remaining flyover there, which will be completed in a month. Traffic police are deployed at the chowk and other major junctions to smooth the traffic flow, but despite that, the issue persists because people try to overtake each other, and they don't move in a single lane. The construction of the landing of the flyover is going on, because of which the issue will remain. Once the work of the flyover is completed, the traffic flow will be regulated."
