PGI-Sarangpur flyover headed to Chandigarh heritage panel for green light

Hindustan Times

4 days ago

Nearly five years after it was first proposed, the much-anticipated flyover project from the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) to Sarangpur is set to be sent to the Chandigarh Heritage Committee for final approval before execution. The Chandigarh administration's move follows strong recommendations from the road safety committee in April this year, which flagged the stretch as a major traffic bottleneck and urged immediate revival of the flyover project. (HT file photo)
The UT administration's move follows strong recommendations from the road safety committee in April this year, which flagged the stretch as a major traffic bottleneck and urged immediate revival of the flyover project.
According to the detailed plans prepared by the UT engineering department, the project is estimated to cost around ₹90 crore.
The flyover will be 1.75 km in length, with a 1.3-km elevated stretch. It will begin near PGIMER and terminate near the Botanical Garden in Sarangpur, passing over Khudda Jassu and Khudda Lahora villages. The planned total width of the flyover is around 19.1 metres and the carriageway width will be 17.5 metres.
UT chief engineer CB Ojha said, 'Following the recommendations of the road safety committee, we are sending the project to the Chandigarh Heritage Committee for final approval. Once we receive the green light, we will begin execution.'
Any projects requiring architectural changes to the city's original plan and heritage require the committee's clearance. The committee's next meeting is scheduled in August.
The project was initially proposed in 2020 and a geotechnical study was also conducted. The UT-appointed technical consultant, General Highways and Infracon Pvt Ltd, had submitted a detailed report on the feasibility of the project.
However, in February 2023, the proposal was shelved after a Metro corridor was planned along the same route.
Stretch a critical chokepoint, says road safety committee
The proposal was revived after a fresh survey was conducted under the direction of deputy commissioner and road safety committee chairperson Nishant Kumar Yadav.
In its latest report, shared in April, the committee highlighted that traffic jams, lack of footpaths (forcing pedestrians onto roads), roadside parking, encroachments by shops, waterlogging during monsoon, U-turns at junctions and autos halting mid-road to pick up passengers had collectively turned the stretch into a critical chokepoint.
As a solution to the clash between the proposed Metro corridor and a flyover plan on the PGIMER-Sarangpur stretch, the UT engineering department in June suggested a double-decker structure — with one level for the Metro track and another for vehicular traffic.
The committee also suggested the construction of a grade-separated flyover, relocation of a nearby school's boundary wall to create a walkable footpath, removal of roadside encroachments, installation of five to six sets of rumble strips (15 mm thick at 50-metre intervals), the creation of a designated school zone and widening the road to 200 feet for Mullanpur-bound traffic.