Nagpur’s Ajni underpass is expected to open by November, offering a new connection between Congress Nagar and Chuna Bhati even as road widening and permanent approach works linked to the Laxman Jhula project continue in phases. The construction has narrowed road space near the British-era Ajni Bridge and caused frequent traffic jams.
The state Public Works Department is executing the Rs35-crore project, which includes the underpass and widening of the road between Ajni Bridge and TB Ward Square. The underpass is designed to allow motorists travelling between Congress Nagar and Chuna Bhati to bypass the busy Ajni Bridge Square junction.
Traffic moving between Kriplani Square and Ajni Bridge will continue over the underpass. This arrangement is intended to separate some crossing movements at the junction and reduce conflicts between vehicles using the local road network.
PWD engineer Anand Rode told the Times of India that opening the underpass by November would ease traffic, but said restrictions could continue on smaller stretches. The approach road from the TB Ward side for the Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation’s Laxman Jhula project will take longer because the department has to plant 13,500 plants against the 400 that need to be cut and is still identifying plantation locations.
The underpass and road-widening works are connected to the approaches of the Rs332-crore Laxman Jhula, a twin-cable-stayed bridge being built by MRIDC. The first phase of the bridge does not have an independent permanent approach and depends on the surrounding road network. Once MRIDC completes one side of the bridge, the existing bridge can be demolished and the other side can be constructed.
Officials said the delay in the permanent approach road is not expected to prevent the new bridge from opening. PWD has planned temporary approaches and traffic diversions so vehicles can move onto the completed side of the Laxman Jhula. Rode said further road widening would be carried out in phases while these arrangements are made.
The eventual widened road will form the permanent approaches to the new bridge. However, some sections of the proposed widening fall within railway limits, requiring the department to obtain land on lease. Until those arrangements and the phased construction are completed, motorists in the Ajni Bridge and TB Ward Square area may continue to face diversions and localised traffic restrictions. The next milestone is the planned opening of the underpass by November.
