Pune: The long-delayed railway overbridge at Pimpri dairy farm was opened to traffic on Thursday, bringing relief to commuters who had faced diversions and congestion for more than three years. Deputy chief minister and Pune district guardian minister Sunetra Pawar inaugurated the Rs 65.28-crore project.Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation had issued the work order for the overbridge on March 31, 2023, with a 24-month completion deadline. However, the project missed its original March 31, 2025, deadline, following which the civic body extended the deadline thrice to Nov 30, 2025, April 30, 2026, and finally July 31, 2026. After the contractor failed to meet even the last deadline, PCMC froze price escalation and imposed a penalty for the delay. Limited railway traffic blocks and delays in securing necessary clearances had hampered construction.A senior PCMC official said the opening of the bridge will lead to permanent closure of railway crossing No. 60 on the Mumbai-Pune railway route, eliminating the need for motorists to wait for trains to pass. It will provide a direct, signal-free route for commuters travelling from Dapodi-Nigdi Road (Old Pune-Mumbai Highway) towards Pimpri village, saving travel time and fuel.The project will benefit residents of Pimpri, Pimple Saudagar and Rahatani as they can now travel on a shorter route to Dapodi-Nigdi Road and Sant Tukaram Nagar Metro station. The new connectivity is expected to ease traffic congestion at Shagun Chowk and Sai Chowk, besides reducing the load on Indira Gandhi bridge and Pimpri bridge, the civic official said.The 565-metre-long and 17.2-metre-wide bridge comprises a 240-metre viaduct and a 45-metre-long section over the railway track, which is 19.5 metres wide. The approach road on the Dapodi-Nigdi side is 135 metres long, while the one on the Pimpri side measures 145 metres. The project also includes service roads, with dedicated footpaths on both sides.The Union defence ministry transferred 5.96 acres of land to PCMC in July 2022 for the project, after which the civic body completed the necessary procedures and took up construction work.“The flyover will remove a major traffic bottleneck, improve daily commuting and boost commercial and industrial activity in the area. Providing safe and congestion-free connectivity is a priority as the city expands,” mayor Ravi Landge said.Municipal commissioner Vijay Suryawanshi said, “The flyover and its approach and service roads have been designed to meet future traffic needs, with facilities for both motorists and pedestrians. It will ease congestion at key junctions and improve traffic flow.”Later, DCM Sunetra Pawar performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the new building of PCMC’s ‘L’ ward office, which is expected to provide improved facilities for administrative operations.
