Pune: Bhide Bridge Closure Hits Commuters; Citizens Demand Daytime Access Amid Metro Work

City residents are struggling with significant inconvenience due to the numerous potholes and ongoing construction work on the roads. Adding to their frustration, traffic on the Baba Bhide Bridge over the river has been repeatedly halted. The Citizens’ Awareness Forum has now demanded that the bridge be opened for daytime traffic, as the deadline given to the metro authorities for completing the pedestrian bridge has expired. The forum suggests that metro construction should continue at night, allowing vehicles and commuters to use Bhide Bridge during the day without disruption.

The forum’s president, Vivek Velankar, submitted a formal request to the Municipal Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), emphasizing the repeated difficulties faced by commuters. During the Ganpati festival, metro work was temporarily halted for fifteen days, allowing the bridge to be open for traffic. However, from September 9, the bridge was closed again for one month, with the closure initially scheduled to end on October 10. Even after briefly reopening for daytime traffic during Diwali, metro work resumed at night, causing further disruption.

Velankar highlighted that a project expected to be completed in 45 days has already taken 175 days, with less than half of the work finished. He criticized the metro authorities for treating Bhide Bridge as if it were exclusively under their ownership, repeatedly closing it and inconveniencing the public. The forum urges that, without granting additional privileges to the metro, the bridge should at least be accessible for daytime traffic, while remaining metro work should be completed during night hours, ensuring minimal disruption for daily commuters.