By Japan K Pathak
Ahmedabad

The most useful ifrastructure that Ahmedabad city has got in year 2015 is two completely new roads in length of 6(West drive) to 8(East drive) km on both sides of River Sabarmati. This new infrastructure has changed the way people travel within the city. It has changed traffic and distance equations. It has brought distanced areas together.

Earlier if you wanted to commute from Paldi to Vadaj there was only one option and it was via Ashram road route. Now you can reach Vadaj from Paldi or Paldi from Vadaj easily without much traffic and not a single traffic junction, via newly built/opened riverfront road.

To reach Sahitya Parishad library from Vasna one used to pass through Law Garden, Mithakhali and Ashram road earlier, but now one would go to a road next to NID (Vishwakunj char rasta) and access the river front road from where I reach directly to Sahitya Parishad without a single traffic junction or jam. Usmanpura, Income tax cross roads, Vallabh Sadan, VS hospital, Tagore hall are other pockets accessible through this western stretch of river front road.

While on western bank, the river front road has emerged as alternate to Ashram road, on eastern bank, you can access the wall city areas, Shahibaug and airport road in south-north direction and Jamalpur and soon connecting road to Maninagar in north-South direction very easily through river front road.

At present the eastern river front road starts from Sardar bridge(Saptrshi crematorium or flower market or APMC at Jamalpur). You can have escape at Gujari bazar, Victoria garden, Nehru bridge, Cama hotel,Gandhi bridge, Dudheshwar, Subhash bridge or you can go upto the end of this road and take turn at Shahibaug Dafnala from where Civil hospital, Circuit house, Camp Hanuman and airport road or highway to Gandhinagar via Indira bridge are accessible conveniently. So earlier from airport you would travel to Shaibaug under bridge to excess the city areas, but now you can take turn at Shahibaug Dafnala and take river front road from where you can choose various escape – the last escape is at Sardar bridge.

The beauty of this road is that it has no incoming-outgoing roads on its one side because there’s a river on that side. Then there are very few incoming and outgoing links on the other side, because of almost uninturrupting row of buildings and residents there. Then the entire riverfront road stretch from Jamalpur to Dafnala on eastern side and Vishakunj/NID to Vadaj on western side is closed for vehicles that have height above 40 meter, as the stretches passe under various river bridges.

There are some beautiful gardens you can spot while driving on riverfront stretches. A new flower garden just behind VS hospital is likely to be opened this year. The reclaimed land between the river front road and Sabarmati river is plain at present. There are gardens, event ground at couple of places, but otherwise you can spot people playing cricket there. Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation(AMC) is going to auction this land within couple of years or so. The procedure has already started. Once the land is auctioned and buildings come up over this land, the river front roads will be busier.

The new roads at river front have changed the distance calculations. People use them as alternate and curiously count the kilometers to realize how beneficial the new road has been in terms of distance and time saving compared to the traditional route they take. One would think whether to catch SG Highway to reach Gandhinagar or eastern stretch of river front road to escape at Shahibaug Dafnala and reach Gandhinagar via airport road and Indira bridge. Of course in many cases the second option proves faster and shorter.

River front roads have created some traffic problem also at couple of places. Two main escapes of river front roads are at Sardar bridge and Dafnala. At both places traffic jam has been regular for last some time, especially at Sardar bridge on its western end. AMC will sooner or later would need to do something to address the traffic congestion issue on western end of Sardar bridge, the junction that meets Tagore hall and NID on both sides.

A few years back, a ring road and now two river front roads(on east and west banks) have made city smaller. River front roads is the most important development that has been achieved in 2015 in Amdavad. Next, the river front road on eastern side may extend upto Ambedkar bridge. The works are going on.

Highlights:

– There are only three speed breakers at present on this entire 8+6 km road – two on east side and only one on west side.

– East river drive between Dadhichi bridge and Subhash bridge has excellent broad foot path on river side. It almost feels like Worli sea drive, much less busier than Worli sea drive however.

– It has become a norm to first set up a small temple and then enlarge it in all prospective areas. I spotted two such temples that are being developed step by step by some people purposefully. One just on the entry point from Viswakunj char rasta just next to starting point of West river drive and another on East river drive on road verge between Ellis bridge and Sardar bridge.

– West river drive’s Vadaj side entry point is not easily discoverable. Signboards and panels are needed here.

– On Vadaj to Usmanpura stretch you can experience drive while river waters visible on other side.

– A good food joint has opened below Subhash bridge. Lot of people are found using it as hang out place.

– There are two parks on River Front roads – one near Subhash Bridge in East and the other one near Usmanpura on West.

– As most of the land is yet to be auctioned for construction of buildings, the River Front area is not much populated and therefore most users of open land, gardens and lower promenaded are collegian love birds who can be found walking holding hand of each other or kissing each other. Nearby colleges on Ashram road are no doubt the main supplier of love birds.

– A big event ground is another busier place on River Front. It is located just opposite Tagore hall, or next to Sardar bridge. Sabarmati festival organized by Chief Minister’s daughter Anar Patel, Vaishnavacharya’s Shrinathji katha are some of the event that have taken place on this event ground which is the largest lawn area in city.

– Just next to the event ground, the AMC is developing permanent flower garden with world-class landscaping.

– Open barren land yet to be auctioned on reclaimed area of river Sabarmati is used for construction activities, cricket, parking and love affair mostly.

– Just next to Patang hotel on West river drive, the AMC has planted palms on central verge which look nice.

– The open land on river front next to the West river drive – near Vallabh Sadan is used as event venue. Bollywood music director Pritam’s musical night is latest to come up here.

– Generally vehicles beyond 4 meter height are disallowed on river front drive due to river bridges, but in Subash bridge area this height is restricted to 3.2 meter due to lower height of railway bridge.

– DeshGujarat