Rs. 62 crore tender floated for Panjrapol Junction flyover

Ahmedabad: The Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has made the decision to proceed with the construction of a flyover at Panjrapol Junction in the Ambawadi area.

On Friday, the AMC issued a tender for the construction of this flyover, with an estimated cost of Rs 62 crore. The municipal body has retained its original plan for the flyover, citing that it aligns with recommendations from a survey conducted by the Institute of Infrastructure Technology Research and Management (IITRAM) two years ago.

However, this decision disregarded the 2011 recommendations of the CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) for a flyover on the 120-foot road leading from Gulbai Tekra to the Police Chowki to Nehru Circle. Instead, the AMC opted for a flyover on the Government Polytechnic-to-IIMA route through Panjrapol Junction.

During the estimation of the Polytechnic-IIMA route in September, certain AMC officials expressed concerns, contending that the proposed flyover would not effectively alleviate traffic issues at the Panjrapol Junction. They advocated for the construction of the flyover on the road recommended by CSIR-CRRI, as it is one of the most congested routes in the area. In defense of their decision, senior AMC officials asserted that the proposed flyover would alleviate traffic congestion on the road leading to the IIMA.

Recently, a team of urban planners and experts wrote to the municipal commissioner, opposing the proposed flyover. Their letter cited the CSIR-CRRI’s recommendation for a two-lane split flyover on a 120-foot-wide road from Vijay Crossroads to Nehrunagar Road.

They pointed out that the road from the Government Polytechnic College to IIMA at Panjrapol Junction is 28 to 30 meters wide, while the IIMA flyover at Andhjanmandal Junction on this road is currently only 13.5 meters wide, falling short of the IRC code’s definition of a two-lane flyover. The letter emphasized that two vehicles cannot simultaneously use the service road on either side of the IIMA flyover, as the service road is less than 6 meters wide.

The letter also raised concerns about the flyover’s incline ending directly in front of the gates of the Government Polytechnic and Atira or AMA on the other side, with only 300 meters of separation between the proposed flyover and the existing IIMA flyover, resulting in a “roller coaster” appearance and potential traffic congestion.

An unnamed AMC official clarified that the municipal body commissioned a new traffic survey from IITRAM to avoid relocating the BRTS stand. Based on this survey, the AMC floated a tender to construct the flyover on the road from the Government Polytechnic towards the IIMA via the Panjrapol Junction. DeshGujarat