Jehangir Chowk-Rambagh Flyover to be completed by 2017

Manzoor Makhdoomi
SRINAGAR, May 15: The prestigious Rs 369 crore Jehangir Chowk-Rambagh Expressway Corridor (flyover) project will be completed by March 2017 and will save approximately Rs 20 crores annually once the flyover is thrown open to public.
The project is being executed by Jammu and Kashmir Economic Reconstruction Agency (JKERA) with Simplex Infra Limited as project contractor.
“The flyover will save approximately Rs 20 crores annually once it is completed”, Director of the JKERA, Malik Basharat Ahmad told Excelsior. He said they have carried a detailed survey which suggests that the saving will mostly come from the fuel saved by reduction in traffic jams in the area from Jehangir Chowk to Rambagh.
The flyover, on which work began in 2013, is being financed by Asian Development Bank (ADB) and is thought to considerably reduce the traffic congestion in Srinagar city centre and provide quick access to International Airport.
Once completed, the 2.4-km flyover is expected to reduce the journey time from Jehangir Chowk to Rambagh from 28 minutes to just 2.5 minutes and will go a long way in reducing the traffic congestion in the area.
The project was expected to be completed in three years time. The original deadline for the completion of the flyover was September 2016. “Due to last year’s devastating floods which resulted in damage to most of the equipment and fleeing of workforce to their respective States, the deadline has been renewed to March 2017”, said an official of the JKERA.
“The work on the project has been divided into 4 sections – A, B, C and D. Out of the 4 sections, the work on B and C sections (from Estates building to Sericulture crossing) is in full swing and work on A and D sections will be started soon”, the officials said.
Approximately 280 shopkeepers are effected by the project. The effected shopkeepers and businessmen are being rehabilitated at newly constructed shopping complexes at Rambagh, Exhibition ground and in Estates Department building situated nearby.
Meanwhile, local commuters who have to take up a different route to reach their destinations appealed the authorities to accelerate the work on the flyover project. They said they are irked over daily traffic jams on the route. “It causes delay in our travel. Sometimes it takes an hour to cover a distance of few minutes”, a local resident said.

Follow our WhatsApp channel