Committee suggests S-shaped flyover to save college buildings

It is final now that a multi-level flyover will come up near the College of Engineering, Pune (CoEP) without defacing the aesthetics of the building of the institution. A three-member committee headed by MV Patil, retired secretary of the public works department, has succeeded in resolving the issues involved in the project by arriving at a consensus between
the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the college authorities.

According to the new plan, the multi-level flyover will have an additional S-shaped road that will carry the traffic coming from the regional transport office (RTO) side directly to the Pune-Mumbai highway. This S-shaped flyover will need acquisition of CoEP’s land on the boat club side of the campus. “This land is anyway used as a parking lot by the college. We are not disturbing it, but the flyover would go above it,” Patil said.

”Previously, there were apprehensions that the flyover would need to take away land near the main building of the college and pass next to the college’s departments. But, now this S-shaped flyover will help save the land and aesthetics of the main building of the college,” said Patil in an exclusive interview to DNA on Tuesday.

He added, “A parallel bridge to the existing Sancheti railway overbridge (ROB) is coming up, which will carry the traffic coming from the RTO side and heading towards Deccan.”

The S-shaped flyover would be two-layered from Sancheti bridge to the RTO and would carry the traffic coming from RTO side and heading towards Deccan and Mumbai-Pune highway. Each of the layers would be one-way.

The flyovers will also have paths for pedestrians. The CoEP will also be connected to the flyovers for the convenience of the faculty and students.

PMC’s project of construction of a multi-level flyover at the CoEP junction had run into stiff opposition from authorities, students and alumni of the reputed institute. The college had objected to the proposed flyover that would skirt the classrooms of the electronics and telecommunications (EnTC), mechanical and other departments. The college had suggested an alternate plan of tunnels. But considering the width of the road, a tunnel was not a feasible option, said Patil.