Pune Rain Halts Completion Work on Sinhagad Road Flyover Second Stretch
Pune’s relentless monsoon showers have disrupted the final stages of construction on the Sinhagad Road flyover’s second arm, halting progress on one of the city’s longest and most critical infrastructure projects. Originally expected to be operational by July, the completion now hangs in limbo, with the Pune Municipal Corporation attributing the delay to waterlogged work zones and slushy conditions that have rendered machinery immobile.
The much-anticipated flyover, which spans approximately 2.5 kilometres from Rajaram Bridge to Fun Time Theatre, was developed to ease persistent congestion along Pune’s western corridor. After the first arm was inaugurated on 1 May by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, authorities had committed to opening the second carriageway within two months. That timeline has now slipped, casting uncertainty over the project’s impact in the short term. Despite the partial opening, commuters navigating Sinhagad Road have seen little relief. Morning and evening rush hours continue to choke the corridor, with the bottleneck effect created by the single operational arm only compounding congestion.
With the city’s vehicular density rising steadily, public frustration is boiling over as citizens call on civic officials to communicate more transparently and expedite works. According to the Pune Municipal Corporation’s Building Permission Department, the construction hit a snag after murum—used for road surfacing—turned to sludge under the relentless rainfall. Asphalt work, crucial for the final stretch, has been delayed as machinery struggles to operate over the soaked foundation. While some preparatory sections were completed before the rains intensified, key areas remain inaccessible due to waterlogging.
Officials maintain that the delay is purely circumstantial and not indicative of project mismanagement. “We’re progressing as swiftly as the conditions allow,” police official said. “Once rainfall intensity drops, we’ll resume with full speed. The road surface will need to stabilise before asphalt can be laid properly to ensure long-term durability.” The flyover, sanctioned in September 2021, was strategically designed to divert high volumes of traffic away from residential and commercial hubs on Sinhagad Road. With the corridor serving as a gateway to the Mumbai-Bengaluru Highway and critical educational and IT clusters, the infrastructure is key to improving connectivity and reducing fuel consumption linked to traffic snarls.
The early opening of one stretch—from Vitthalwadi to Fun Time Cinema—was viewed as a bold move by the PMC to provide interim relief. But critics now argue that this decision, while well-intentioned, has unintentionally increased pressure on an already narrow operational channel. With the other arm still incomplete, merging traffic has become unpredictable, leading to longer wait times and traffic violations. Urban infrastructure experts have voiced concerns over the PMC’s project planning, especially regarding seasonal considerations. “Monsoon is not a surprise in Pune. Large-scale civic projects need climate-resilient scheduling and contingency resources,” officials said. “Construction practices must evolve to incorporate weather analytics to avoid such stoppages.”
Residents along the Sinhagad stretch, meanwhile, are voicing mounting dissatisfaction. Social media is rife with posts highlighting the traffic chaos and the civic body’s lack of regular updates. Some citizens have even organised local meetings demanding a realistic timeline and improved coordination with traffic police during ongoing construction. The PMC insists that progress, though temporarily slowed, is not at a standstill. Minor works like guardrail fitting, signage installation, and electric pole alignment are continuing wherever feasible. Engineers on-site are working during low-rain intervals to prevent a complete work stoppage. However, the lack of a firm completion date is fuelling speculation that the flyover may miss its monsoon deadline entirely.
Environmentalists have raised another point of concern: that prolonged construction contributes indirectly to rising emissions, as vehicles idle in traffic jams and take detours. Prolonged delays are not only affecting daily commutes but also pushing Pune further away from its stated goal of becoming a sustainable, net-zero city. Still, some city planners believe the delay, while inconvenient, may serve as a learning curve for future civic projects. “This episode underlines the need for a more adaptive, modular approach to urban development. Projects cannot remain rigidly tied to optimistic deadlines in a climate-vulnerable environment,” an official noted.
As the city continues to grapple with growing population and vehicle pressure, the Sinhagad Road flyover remains a litmus test for PMC’s ability to deliver high-impact public infrastructure on time and in line with environmental resilience. Until the skies clear and work resumes, residents can only wait—and hope—for faster movement on the ground.
