Pune: A proposed plan for the Pune Ring Road, announced in 2016, is yet to begin. While the project is still in the pipeline, commuters continue to face the traffic and pollution problems. It should be noted that the vehicle congestion, and worsening air quality due to the emissions were the reason the idea of a ring road was proposed. In addition to that, there are several challenges in front of the authorities to tackle before the project could start, which includes land acquisition.
The Maharashtra government has recently hiked the budget of the project by approving an additional amount of Rs 20,375.21 crore. This brings the total cost to Rs 42,711.03 crore for the project. This increase comes just three years after the initial estimate, despite construction not having started yet, read a report by The Financial Express.
Cost Increases Raise Project Budget
The project, split into eastern and western sections, seeks to improve traffic flow and connect suburban areas to the city.
Eastern Section: Extending from Urse (Mumbai-Pune Expressway) to Solu (Alandi-Markal Road) and further to Sortapwadi (Pune-Solapur Road), the cost rose from Rs 10,159.82 crore in September 2021 to Rs 19,932.98 crore, with the project length increasing from 68.19 km to 72.335 km.
Western Portion: This stretch spans from Urse to Varve Budruk (Satara Road). This part saw a cost jump from Rs 12,176 crore to Rs 22,778.05 crore.
Pune Ring Road: Four Phases
The 128.08 km project will be completed in four phases, with MSRDC, PMC, and PMRDA overseeing different segments:
- Phase 1: Solu Interchange to Vadgaon Shinde (4.7 km)
- Phase 2: Pune-Ahmednagar Road to Solapur Road (71.89 km)
- Phase 3: Pune-Solapur Road to Pune-Satara Road (21.23 km)
- Phase 4: Pune-Satara Road to Parandwadi Interchange (44.80 km)