Pune : Residents want Dr Ambedkar Road, a 2.8-kilometer stretch, to reopen for two-way traffic

Residents of Khadki and the surrounding areas have called for the reopening of a 2.8-kilometer section of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Road to two-way traffic. Because of metro construction, the aforementioned stretch has been closed to two-way traffic for the past three and a half years. This has caused hardship for the local population, students, business owners, and thousands of commuters from Khadki, Range Hills, Bopodi, Dapodi, Vishrantwadi, and the surrounding areas.

PMC officials said that due to construction on a section of the former Mumbai-Pune Highway close to the Jai Hind theatre, the aforementioned stretch is now off-limits to two-way traffic. The Ambedkar Road in Khadki is used to reroute traffic from Bopodi towards Wakdewadi. The 2.8 km section cannot be reopened for two-way traffic until the work is finished.

A few days ago, PMC additional commissioner Vikas Dhakane was approached by members of the Maha Vikas Aghadi Khadki Cantonment Board, who included representatives from various political parties, entrepreneurs, residents, and social workers. They requested that the stretch be opened for two-way traffic once more. Under the direction of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee vice-president Mohan Joshi, the group even threatened to stage a large-scale protest and rasta roko if the PMC did not allow two-way traffic on the route until March 15.

Students are most negatively impacted, according to a resident, because of the traffic divergence and congestion. Kids literally have to fight to get in and out of All Saints School because of the chaos that surrounds the school. Parents are terrified because of the chaos and heavy traffic flow, which could lead to any unwanted incident.

After work on the old Mumbai-Pune Highway is finished, the road will reopen for two-way traffic, according to a senior PMC official. There is now just a small portion left to be developed. The development work on this section of highway was delayed by land acquisition issues and permissions from multiple departments.