A proposal to build a larger bridge over the New Mutha Right Canal at Chouphula and improve the hazardous ghat road between Padvi and Supe has received a positive response from Maharashtra Public Works Minister Shivendrasinhraje Bhosale, according to a representation submitted by Daund MLA Rahul Kul.
The demands concern the Kedgaon-Supe state highway, described in the report as a heavily used and important route in Daund taluka. At Boripardhi-Chouphula, the existing bridge over the New Mutha Right Canal has three spans but is too narrow for two heavy vehicles to pass each other at the same time. The resulting congestion and reported accidents have made the crossing a recurring traffic bottleneck.
Kul has sought widening of the existing crossing and construction of a larger bridge at the location. The demand has gained urgency because an elevated highway has been proposed on the Pune-Solapur National Highway between Hadapsar and Yavat. Once work on that project begins, traffic from the national highway is expected to be diverted to the Kedgaon-Supe state route, increasing pressure on the narrow canal bridge.
The minister has responded positively to both requests and instructed the Pune chief engineer of the Public Works Department to take necessary action, the report said. The account does not specify whether administrative approval, a technical survey, land acquisition approval or funding has been issued for the proposed bridge.
The second demand relates to the ghat section between Padvi and Supe. The road has steep gradients and dangerous bends, while the report says the required road banking on the curves is inadequate. Heavy vehicles reportedly slide backwards while climbing, and some drivers attempt to use the opposite lane to negotiate the gradient, creating the risk of head-on collisions.
The report also attributes several incidents of vehicles losing control on sharp bends and falling into valleys to the condition and design of the ghat road. Kul has therefore sought urgent road redesign, including the necessary land acquisition and cutting of the ghat section, to reduce the steepness of the climb and improve the road geometry.
The two demands highlight how a relatively narrow state highway can become a critical link when traffic conditions on a larger regional corridor change. In this case, the proposed diversion associated with the Hadapsar-Yavat elevated highway makes the capacity and safety of the canal crossing relevant beyond the immediate villages along the route.
The next stage rests with the Public Works Department’s Pune chief engineer. The department’s necessary action, including any technical assessment and decisions on bridge construction, road cutting and land acquisition, will determine whether the ministerial direction develops into an approved improvement project.
