Traffic signal installation has begun at the Corporate Road junction where Ahmedabad’s Makarba–Corporate Road overbridge ends, an intervention expected to reduce accident risks, congestion and the 200-metre detour imposed on motorists since the bridge opened.
The junction has remained a problem area from the beginning because the bridge terminates at a four-way intersection. According to Gujarat Samachar – Ahmedabad, the layout led to traffic jams and raised concerns about the possibility of serious accidents, prompting repeated demands for a signal system at the location.
The immediate traffic arrangement had included a “capsule system” to reduce the risk of conflicting vehicle movements. Under that arrangement, motorists travelling towards Prahladnagar had to take an additional route of about 200 metres. The measure was intended to manage movement at the junction but added to the distance and inconvenience for road users.
The report said the police department had written to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation on the day the bridge opened, seeking traffic signals at the junction. Police officials reportedly made three to four further requests, both orally and in writing, to different municipal officials. The requests followed continuing congestion and public disruption after the bridge became operational.
The latest work began after material for the signal installation was brought to the site on Friday, October 30, according to the chairman of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s Standing Committee. The chairman said the installation work had started and that the signal system would be made operational after the work was completed.
The intervention is significant because the junction’s operating arrangement affects how traffic is distributed between Makarba, Corporate Road and the routes towards Prahladnagar. Until now, the traffic-control response described in the report relied on a temporary movement arrangement rather than a functioning signal system at the intersection.
The bridge had already drawn criticism over the way it connected with the Corporate Road junction. The concerns were not limited to delays: the absence of signals at a busy meeting point created a road-safety issue, while the resulting diversions affected the daily movement of motorists. The police requests also indicate that the junction’s operational requirements had been identified by the authorities before the permanent signal work began.
The municipal response comes after traffic disruption and controversy surrounding the bridge’s operation. Senior police officials, political representatives and municipal office-bearers had previously been required to respond to the situation, the report said. The new installation is therefore intended to replace the earlier arrangement with formal traffic control at the four-way junction.
The Standing Committee chairman said the signals would make travel safer and smoother once they became operational. The report did not specify the expected completion date, the number of signal poles or the final traffic phasing plan. The next confirmed milestone is completion of the installation and formal commissioning of the signal system at the Corporate Road junction.
