Railway Gives Green Signal for Girder Installation on Flyover
- Work on flyover begins after approval
- Work to continue for two hours daily, say officials
Pimpri : Work on the Pimpri Dairy Farm flyover, which had been stalled for nearly a year due to pending permission from the central railway authorities, has finally gained momentum. After receiving the necessary approval, the process of installing iron girders on the portion of the bridge over the railway tracks has begun.
On Sunday (March 15), two girders were successfully installed. The remaining five girders will be installed in the coming days at the rate of two per day. Once this work is completed, the flyover is expected to be opened for traffic soon, officials from the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation said.
Residents travelling from Pimpri village to the Pune–Mumbai Highway or trying to exit the Pimpri market area had to cross the railway line through a road passing via Pimpri Dairy Farm located within the military area. Due to frequent railway signals at the level crossing, commuters often had to wait for 15 to 20 minutes. As a result, long queues of vehicles would build up on both sides of the railway gate, leading to heavy traffic congestion once the gate reopened. In the rush to pass through the crowded area, several accidents were also reported in the past.
To permanently address this problem, the municipal corporation decided to construct a flyover in the military land area near Pimpri Dairy Farm.
Although the construction on both sides of the railway tracks had already been completed, permission to build the central portion over the railway line was delayed. Installation of the iron girders required changes in train schedules on the railway route. Since this involved complex coordination, the central railway authorities took nearly a year to grant approval.
Only Two-Hour ‘Shutdown’
After repeated follow-ups by the civic body’s civil engineering department, the railway authorities have now granted a two-hour shutdown daily for the work. During this time, the installation of the iron girders on the bridge is being carried out.
On Sunday (March 16), two girders were installed successfully. The remaining five girders will be placed at the rate of two per day and are expected to be completed by March 21. After this, the remaining technical work will be carried out and the flyover will soon be opened for traffic.
Once operational, the flyover will help vehicles travelling from Pimpri Gaothan and Pimpri Camp avoid long waits at the railway crossing. Commuters will be able to reach the Pune–Mumbai Highway in just about five minutes.
Flyover Features
- Total length of the bridge: 485 metres
- Total width: 17.20 metres
- Total project cost: Rs 65.28 crore
“From today, Sunday, work has begun to install iron girders on the portion of the bridge over the railway tracks. Two girders were installed on the first day, and a total of seven girders are planned to be installed by March 21. As the railway department has provided only a two-hour window, the work must be completed within this limited time. After March 21, slab work will begin on the girders, and the remaining construction is expected to be completed by the end of April.
- Vijay Bhojne, Executive Engineer, Civil Department, Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation.
