PMC to install signboards at Chandani Chowk flyover to clear confusion among commuters

One-and-a-half years into the opening of the Chandani Chowk multilevel flyover and commuters are still confused about which direction to take due to the absence of proper signboards, a recent Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) survey has found. To rectify the situation, the PMC has decided to install clear directional signs to improve navigation.

The Chandani Chowk multilevel flyover took six years to be completed and was inaugurated in August 2023. However, the problem of signboards has still not been solved and there are no clear signboards for Chandani Chowk, NDA, Kothrud, Mulshi, Bavdhan, Satara and Mumbai, causing confusion among drivers. Amid several citizens demanding proper signboards, PMC engineers last month conducted a survey only to find that new signboards are needed in many places.

Sambhaji Kawathe, junior engineer of the PMC project department, said, “After receiving complaints from citizens, we conducted a survey last month. We found that many people are confused with more than 50 motorists asking for directions to Mulshi, Mumbai, Kothrud, and Satara Road. There are signboards but they are not placed properly as they were installed by the contractor. Now, we have identified the correct locations and have floated a tender to install the signboards.”

Inadequate signposts on roads from Kothrud to Bavdhan-Pashan and the Satara-Mumbai highway are causing confusion among drivers. To go to Bavdhan from Kothrud depot, one must turn from NDA Road and reach the main square from where a wide road leads to Bavdhan. For drivers coming from Satara, a separate road leads under the NDA bridge. They must take the bridge on the left to reach Bavdhan and from there, another road leads to Kothrud. However, there are no proper signposts to provide clear directions for these routes.

Vinod Dudhal, a resident of Mulshi, said, “I came from Mulshi and wanted to go to Katraj, but I did not see any signboard. By mistake, I took the road towards Kothrud. After I realised, I took a detour and went back towards Katraj.”

Shirkant Dalwale, a commuter, said, “The signposts on the road from Mulshi to Satara and Mumbai should be larger. The current signs are small and hard to see. This causes confusion among drivers.”

On August 27, 2017, union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari laid the foundation stone of the project and it was inaugurated in August 2023. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) spent ₹865 crore to develop the flyover. The project was implemented by the NHAI. It was decided to build a flyover at Chandani Chowk which is a connecting point for Hinjewadi IT Park and also includes stretches of the Mumbai-Bangalore bypass, Mulshi Road, Paud Road and Pashan Road.