Pune's Agriculture College Flyover to Undergo Nighttime Repairs for One Month
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has announced that the crucial two-way flyover at Agriculture College Chowk on University Road will be closed to traffic from 9 PM to 7 AM daily for the next month. This nighttime closure is essential to facilitate urgent repairs of the flyover's expansion joints, which were identified as needing attention during a recent structural audit. However, vehicular movement will remain fully open during daytime hours, as the civic administration has opted against a full closure due to the flyover's significant role on this busy arterial stretch.
Background and Initial Plans
Originally, the PMC had scheduled these expansion joint repairs for January, but the work was postponed to accommodate a major cycling event in the city. A comprehensive structural audit conducted several months ago specifically recommended repairs to both the flyover's bearings and its expansion joints to ensure long-term safety and structural integrity. The four-lane flyover, featuring two lanes in each direction, begins just ahead of Shimla Office Chowk and extends past the Agriculture College junction, terminating near the start of Lakaki Road.
Traffic Management and Diversion Plans
Civic officials are actively developing a detailed traffic management plan to minimize disruption. One potential strategy under consideration is keeping one lane open on each side even during the nighttime closure hours, though this is still being evaluated. During the closure periods, vehicles will be systematically diverted to the adjacent service roads. Officials have assured the public that these service roads are sufficiently wide to accommodate buses and other heavy vehicles without causing major bottlenecks.
Commuters Voice Concerns Over Other Flyovers
Regular commuters in the Shivajinagar and surrounding areas have seized this opportunity to urge the administration to conduct similar inspections on other flyovers across Pune. They report uncomfortable and potentially unsafe rides due to poorly maintained expansion joints on several key structures.
- Vineet Raut, a frequent traveler between Sangamwadi and Deccan Gymkhana, highlighted severe bumps on two flyovers at CoEP Chowk. He emphasized that the joints of spans do not align properly with the carriageway, causing riders to lose control while driving over them. Raut called for these to be repaired at the earliest.
- Suraj Modak, a regular user of the Swargate flyover, described experiencing consistently bumpy rides. He suggested that the work at the joints of spans may not have been executed properly during previous maintenance. Modak recommended that the administration undertake a detailed survey of all major flyovers and river bridges to check the condition of expansion joints and ensure metal strips are intact.
Recent PMC Repair Initiatives
In related infrastructure maintenance efforts, the Pune Municipal Corporation has recently completed repair work on a flyover at Paud Phata and on the Rajaram Bridge, which connects Sinhagad Road to Karvenagar. These projects underscore the civic body's ongoing commitment to addressing structural issues across the city's network of flyovers and bridges.
