Pune To Build Nine Km Link Road Between Highways

The project has been prioritised by the PMC and forms part of a larger set of schemes in which 19 roads have been identified for development at a combined cost of Rs 9.82 billion (bn) to address congestion. The civic body has allocated Rs 340 million (mn) to carry out surveys, prepare detailed land acquisition proposals and undertake on-site planning for the nine km link.

The civic administration has also renewed efforts to complete the Katraj-Kondhwa road, a three and a half km stretch now being developed to a 60 metre width after years of delay owing to land acquisition. The original design allowed for a 94 metre width but the PMC has resolved to limit the works to 60 metres in the present phase for lack of sufficient funds, with further widening to be undertaken when resources permit.

The Katraj-Kondhwa route runs from Katraj chowk to Khadi Machine chowk and provides connectivity to the Pune-Baramati and Pune-Solapur roads across Kondhwa, a corridor that has experienced heavy traffic and serious accidents as urbanisation has accelerated. The PMC indicated that the Khadi Machine to Wadki chowk link is part of a broader plan extending from Narhe to Wadki that will allow heavy vehicles travelling between Solapur, Mumbai and Satara to bypass the city, and it has requested the state Public Works Department (PWD) to hand over the stretch for development with necessary funding.