Pune: Chinchwad’s 47-Year-Old Railway Overbridge to be Demolished and Rebuilt
Pune: Hinjawadi Commuters to Benefit from New Bridge Connecting Mamurdi & Sangavade
The 47-year-old railway overbridge connecting Chinchwad to the old Pune-Mumbai highway will be demolished and rebuilt after being deemed unsafe for commuters. The decision comes after a structural audit report recommended replacing the bridge instead of strengthening it.
PCMC’s informed that the civic body conducted a structural audit of the overbridge 18 months ago and shared the report with the railway authorities. “Based on their recommendations, PCMC reduced the dead load, and height restrictors were installed to ban heavy vehicles. However, the railway authorities recommended the demolition of the structure. A new overbridge will be constructed.
The old overbridge has been closed to heavy vehicles for 18 months, and currently, only light vehicles moving from the old Pune-Mumbai highway towards Chinchwad Gaon use the bridge. However, the railway authorities will advise the civic body on whether to shut down the overbridge completely before the demolition process starts.
A consultant has been appointed to design a new overbridge, which will be sent to the railway authorities for approval before the tendering process begins. Since the consultancy appointed for the structural audit will also provide the design, the process is expected to be faster.
In a related development, the civic body has finished strengthening the 40-year-old Indira Gandhi railway overbridge in Pimpri. The work order was issued in February 2020, but work was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “Only work related to two wings of the structure remains to be done, and that will also be completed soon,” a PCMC official said.
