Building Pune: Civic Body Proposes 10 More Double-Decker Bridges Across the City

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Following the successful completion of a double-decker bridge featuring a metro route on Karve Road and Ganeshkhind Road, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has announced plans for ten additional double-decker bridges throughout the city to ease vehicular traffic congestion.The PMC will collaborate with the agency overseeing the metro project in Pune for these new double-decker structures. The civic body will finance the construction of the lower level for vehicular traffic, while the upper floor will be funded through metro project allocations.

The operational double-decker bridge at Nal Stop on Karve Road was built in partnership with the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (Maha-Metro). Meanwhile, the double-decker bridge on Ganeshkhind Road is being constructed jointly by the PMC and the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), which is developing the metro rail route from Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar.Proposed locations for the new double-decker bridges include:

Mundhwa Mahatma Phule Chowk
Kalubai Chowk on Solapur Road
Dandekar Pul Chowk
Wagholi Awhalwadi Chowk
Ambedkar Chowk in Warje
Kothrud Bus Depot in Bhusari Colony
Golibar Maidan Chowk
Viman Nagar Chowk
Wanowrie Fatimanagar Chowk
Ravidarshan in Manjari

The PMC is seeking financial assistance for the first floor’s construction, requiring ₹60 crore for Mundhwa Mahatma Phule Chowk, ₹35 crore for Kalubai Chowk on Solapur Road, and ₹45 crore for Dandekar Pul Chowk.Yuvraj Deshmukh, Chief Engineer of PMC, explained, “The proposed double-decker bridges are essential for routes where elevated metro lines will be built. Once the metro routes are in place, no other infrastructure projects, such as flyovers or underpasses, can be undertaken on those roads due to the presence of large pillars and elevated structures.” He added that a feasibility study is currently being conducted to explore the viability of constructing flyover bridges alongside the metro routes.

Hemant Sonawane, Executive Director of Pune Metro, stated, “Pune Metro is always prepared to construct flyovers for the civic body wherever necessary.” He emphasized that building a flyover on the same pillars as the elevated metro is advantageous for the civic body, as it reduces costs. “With the metro routes, the PMC will encounter challenges in developing road infrastructure, making it prudent to plan ahead for both projects,” Sonawane noted.Interestingly, the PMC’s recently constructed flyover on Sinhagad Road faced public opposition due to the proposed metro route in that area.