Latest news with #Rs141.62
Time of India
03-05-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
‘Faulty design' of newly opened Kawrapeth flyover leads to traffic chaos
1 2 Nagpur: A recently opened extension of the Kalamna to Rajiv Nagar flyover, which connects with the current Shanti Nagar flyover over Kawrapeth railway crossings, has become a nightmare for motorists with its narrow width and lack of U-turns. Terming the design of the flyover as faulty, motorists and experts are demanding corrective measures to resolve the issues. The RoB was built as the stretch between Kawrapeth to Old Kamptee Road has three railway lines forcing motorists to wait for a long time at these level crossings. The RoB connects two existing flyovers — Shanti Nagar to Rajiv Gandhi Nagar and Kawrapeth — and does not have a landing of its own. The PWD recently opened Shanti Nagar to Rajiv Nagar flyover for the public without any official inauguration following pressure from the locals as well as politicians. The 1km long flyover was built at the cost of Rs141.62 crore against the Rs180 crore administrative approval. The flyover work was completed in Sept 2024, but a site visit by DCP (traffic) Archit Chandak and other senior officials found several issues with the design of the flyover, and they refused permission for its opening. "We did a safety audit of the flyover and found a design fault on the Chikhli side of the flyover. We strongly recommended some corrective measures. However, the Chikhli side of the flyover is not yet open. I will look into the issues currently faced by motorists on the newly opened wing," said DCP Chandak. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Highest Earning College Majors—2025 Edition Best Paying Degrees | Search Ads Learn More Undo The RoB begins at Kalamna Road, crossing two railway lines before diverging into three arms. Two of these arms are meant to connect to the Itabhatti-Kalamna flyover. However, they remain blocked by concrete barricades placed by the contractor pending design change work suggested by the traffic department. The third and primary arm connects to the Shanti Nagar flyover which has become a problem for motorists. Despite being structurally complete for several months, the RoB wasn't opened for traffic due to a lack of permission from the traffic department. It was finally opened under pressure. Now, vehicles travelling at high speeds pass through the T-point, which is the only point along the flyover with concrete dividers. Within quick time the stretch has become notorious for wrong side driving and unmarked U-turns, particularly by commuters heading toward Itabhatti Chowk. Originally envisioned to enhance traffic flow, the design is unintentionally encouraging risky driving, endangering both motorists and pedestrians. Local resident Ranjan Adhikari, speaking to TOI, criticised the PWD's planning, calling the extension "completely unnecessary." "The existing flyovers at Shanti Nagar and Kalamna Market were already doing the job. This new extension has only made commuting more dangerous," he said. Indora traffic zone in-charge PI Sharad Kadam said that the flyover was opened after some measures suggested by the traffic department were implemented by the PWD. "However, the issue remains as motorists have started taking U-turns at congested spots and even driving on the wrong side. I will now write a letter to the PWD to build a continuous divider along the Shanti Nagar flyover so that illegal U-turns are stopped," said PI Kadam. With no traffic police or surveillance systems in place, violations go unchecked. "We cannot put a traffic cop to manage traffic as it is a flyover," said PI Kadam. The absence of signage, lane markings, or speed controls has made the flyover particularly unsafe during peak hours. Residents are now demanding accountability from the PWD and urging the civic authorities to reassess the extension's safety standards. PWD officials told TOI that they are planning to carry out suggestions by the traffic department, but it will take five to six months.
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Sans fanfare, citizens open Kalamna-Kawrapeth RoB
Nagpur: Following increasing demand to open the railway over bridge (RoB) between Kalamna and Kawrapeth, division 3 of the state public works department (PWD) on Friday opened the wing of the Kalamna-Rajiv Nagar flyover for light vehicles. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now BJP workers inaugurated the flyover without any official function and allowed motorists to use it. According to PWD sources, the work order for Kalamna-Rajiv Nagar RoB was issued in September 2021. "The RoB was constructed as there were three railway lines on the Rajiv Gandhi or Kawrapeth to Old Kamptee Road, and motorists used to waste a lot of time at these level crossings. The RoB connects two existing flyovers — Shanti Nagar-Rajiv Gandhi Nagar and Kawrapeth — and does not have a landing," said PWD officials. The complicated, 1.09 km long flyover was built at the cost of Rs141.62 crore against the Rs180 crore administrative approval. The work was completed in September 2024, overshooting the deadline by one year due to various reasons, including utility shifting, etc. After the construction of the flyover was complete in September, a joint inspection was carried out by PWD officials and the traffic department of city police led by DCP (traffic) Archit Chandak. The traffic department raised several questions on the design of the flyover and raised concerns that it could lead to accidents. "The traffic department proposed many measures, including changes in its design. So, it was not opened for motorists," said PWD sources. Meanwhile, local residents started complaining about the delay in throwing open the flyover even after the construction was over. They also approached MLA Krishna Khopde, who too raised the issue with PWD officials. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now PWD sources said that finally, a report was submitted by the traffic department about temporary measures, including installing height barriers and others, to open the flyover for light vehicles. "We implemented the measures after which the light vehicles were allowed to ply on the flyover from Friday," said PWD sources. PWD officials added that implementing the long-term measures, including widening the flyover at some locations, would take around four to five months. "The RoB is built to accommodate heavy vehicles, and after the long-term measures are implemented, it would be thrown open for heavy vehicles too. The funds leftover from administrative approved amount would be used for implementing the measures," said a PWD official.
