A planned bridge near Vadgaon on Pune’s Sinhgad Road will be redesigned after a joint inspection found that its proposed height could restrict access for school buses, ambulances and fire-service vehicles serving nearby residential areas. Officials have agreed to examine a revised clearance of 4.5 metres and prepare a coordinated design.
The inspection was conducted by officials from the Pune Municipal Corporation, MahaMetro and the National Highways Authority of India after residents objected to the proposed height of 3.3 metres. The bridge is planned along a service road near a stream beside Vadgaon bridge, connecting Prayeja City, the Sun City area and surrounding housing societies.
Residents had warned that the lower clearance could prevent larger vehicles from using the road. The route is particularly important for emergency access, as it connects residential communities to the wider Sinhgad Road network. The concern was first reported by Sakal, after which a meeting of the agencies concerned was held at Council Hall through the intervention of Member of Parliament Supriya Sule.
The service-road works are part of ongoing construction between Navale Bridge and Warje on the Pune-Bengaluru National Highway. The inspection focused not only on the bridge’s height but also on how the service road would connect with the highway and adjoining neighbourhoods once the project is completed.
Officials also discussed the proposed construction of a Metro pillar near the 12-metre-wide local road. The agencies agreed that the highway, Metro and municipal road works would need to be coordinated so that the existing connection to the residential areas is not interrupted. The municipal Path and Projects departments, MahaMetro and NHAI will jointly prepare a revised plan.
The decision comes after MLA Bhimrao Tapkir conducted an inspection on October 15 and directed that the work be stopped over the height-related concerns. The latest joint inspection included municipal project department official Dinkar Gojare, deputy engineer from the Path Department Vijay Dabhade, NHAI official Subhash Ghante, corporators Kaka Chavan and Sandeep Raikar, and other officials.
The concerned departments are expected to meet within 15 days to take a final decision on the revised design. Until then, the bridge’s final clearance and the implementation schedule remain subject to the inter-agency plan.
