Nagpur Plans Temporary Link Road To Alleviate Congestion
City authorities and police planners have proposed a temporary link road at the busy Ajni intersection by cutting the central median, aiming to ease persistent traffic bottlenecks that hamper daily commuting and freight movement. The interim measure, advanced as a short-term response to rising vehicle congestion, sheds light on growing mobility pressures in rapidly urbanising Indian cities and underscores the demand for adaptive traffic management solutions amid infrastructure constraints.
Traffic volumes near the Ajni junction — a key arterial node connecting residential districts with commercial zones and transport hubs — have surged in recent years. Urban planners say this is driven by rising vehicle ownership, expanding peripheral settlements, and increased commercial deliveries navigating through the junction during peak hours. The proposal to carve an interim link aims to create a direct passage for specific traffic streams, reducing waiting times at signalised intersections and improving throughput for both private and commercial vehicles.Senior police officials presented the idea to municipal authorities after analysing peak-hour gridlocks and observing recurrent delays that affect commuters and local businesses alike. “We are exploring targeted, low-cost adjustments that can deliver measurable improvements in travel time without waiting for long-term infrastructure investments,” a transport official said, describing the proposal as a tactical relief measure.
From an urban mobility perspective, such adaptations reflect a broader trend in Indian cities where interim infrastructure tweaks are often deployed to address pinch points while longer-term projects — such as flyovers or underpasses — undergo planning, design and funding approvals. Experts caution that these short-term solutions must be accompanied by robust traffic modelling and safety assessments, particularly when median cuts alter established patterns of movement.Cutting the median at busy intersections can increase network capacity for certain movements, but also requires careful calibration to avoid unintended consequences such as increased conflict points, pedestrian risk or disruption to public transport lanes. Nagpur’s transport planners are reportedly evaluating traffic flow data and considering signal adjustments, signage and delineation measures to ensure that the proposed link complements existing infrastructure.
For commuters and road users, even modest gains in travel time can translate into tangible benefits — reduced fuel consumption, lower emissions from idling vehicles, and greater predictability in journey schedules. In a city where daily motorised trips have expanded in step with economic and residential growth, managing congestion at strategic nodes is increasingly critical to local productivity and quality of life.The Ajni proposal dovetails with Nagpur’s broader mobility agenda, which includes efforts to strengthen public transport, optimise signals through data analysis, and enhance non-motorised street access for pedestrians and cyclists. Urban sustainability practitioners emphasise that while interim road adjustments can offer relief, long-term strategies rooted in multimodal integration and demand management are essential to reduce dependence on private vehicles and support equitable access.
Civil society groups have called for transparent stakeholder engagement, urging authorities to share data, timelines and potential impacts before implementation. They argue that equitable traffic solutions should prioritise safety for vulnerable road users, including residents, street vendors and schoolchildren frequenting the area.As Nagpur weighs the link road proposal, the city’s broader challenge remains the balancing act between immediate commuter needs and sustainable mobility transformation. The outcome of this tactical initiative may offer useful insights for other Indian cities navigating similar urban traffic pressures.
