Pune: Khadki underpass has become nightmare for commuters, bottleneck causes endless snarls for thousands daily

PUNE: The long-delayed widening of two underpasses in Khadki’s Range Hills is leading to a major bottleneck for thousands of commuters on a daily basis.
Their nightmare will seemingly continue for the next few months, as the civic body is yet to finalise expansion details, even after spending a significant time conducting a survey for the project.
The two British-era underpasses were suitable a decade ago, with fewer vehicles on city roads.In the last few years, traffic flow has increased exponentially, necessitating their urgent expansion.
To demonstrate — when constructed, both underpasses could only fit a maximum of two small cars side-by-side (one in each of their two lanes). This has not changed. So, queues outside the underpasses are serpentine today, especially during peak hours.
Further, both underpasses are currently facing additional pressure due to diversions made on University Road to facilitate Metro work.
These routes are the only way to access Range Hills and Aundh-Khadki Road from the Old Pune Mumbai Highway. While one is located near the Central Hatchery, the other is situated near Khadki police station. Both have been turned into one-way corridors.
Anita Dixit, a commuter who frequently uses this stretch, told TOI, “I have to use this road every other day as there is no alternative route tomy destination. The other day, amidst all the chaos, it took me one hour and 20 minutes to cover 700-800 metres in a car. Vehicles just don’t move here. With the new diversions due to Metro work on University Road, the stretch has only gotten worse.”
To compound the problem, both underpasses are in terrible shape, mainly due to accumulation of rainwater. Two-wheeler riders in particular find it difficult to traverse the stretch as they are unable to gauge the depth of puddles, especially at night. Besides, the route has become dangerously slippery amid the rains.
The approach roads to the underpasses are riddled with big potholes, too, which in some places have turned into craters. Commuters fear these will turn worse in thenext few months due to rain.
Akash Kulkarni, a software techie from Aundh who uses this route regularly, said, “I do not know when the authorities will wake up from their deep slumber. They seem to be waiting for a major fatal mishap. It is a nightmare to use these underpasses and risky for thousands of lives.”
The ambitious widening plan of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) for both underpasses is still at the discussion level with all other stakeholders — including the Army, Defence Estates Office (DEO) and Pune railway authorities — yet to come on the same page. The Khadki Cantonment Board (KCB), under whose jurisdiction these underpasses fall, had earlier cited financial inability to take on this project. In 2023, PMC had offered to take it up instead.
PMC chief engineer Srinivas Bonala confirmed to TOI, “We have surveyed both sites. Our report is ready and has been shared with all the authorities. The survey has been done at our level.”
Civic officials said that the estimated project cost is close to Rs25 crore and may increase. A section of civicofficials also told TOI that the project could not progress due to recent elections.
But the Aundh Road Bhau Patil Road Association said it had taken up the need for widening with all departments concerned three years ago. “Many people need to use the underpass daily, often multiple times. Widening of the Khadki underpass needs to be done on war footing. It is utter chaos from 9am to noon and then again from 5pm till late at night. Motorists avoid this stretch, fearing collisions, potholes and waterlogging,” Aundh Road resident Samuel Matthew said.
Another local resident, Harsh Dhonge, who uses this stretch to go home after work, said that repairs on this stretch are done time and again, but the situation never seems to improve. “How many times will authorities do patchwork at the turning of the Khadki pass or on the stretch outside Khadki police station? As a biker, this road feels like a death-trap on most days. There’s always waterlogging, poor lighting and potholes everywhere.
Meanwhile, the authorities are busy lobbing the ballin each other’s court when asked about the progress of the project. Bonala said, “The railway authorities raised questions over our report. Those issues we will discuss and sort it out in a meeting scheduled on June 21.”
Another senior PMC official said, “Ultimately, the railway line is on these underpasses. If we want to execute the project, we must have the rail authorities on board. We expect a quick response.”

Indu Rani Dubey, divisional regional manager of Pune railway division, assured, “We are looking at the project positively. We will work out whatever possible assistance is required with the authorities concerned, including PMC. Our technical team will chip in to take discussions to the next stage.”
The project will also need over an acre of defence land, including A-1 defence land that comes under the management of the Local Military Authority (LMA).
The Board Of Officers(BOO) of the station headquarters Khadki, which is the LMA, had also conducted an independent survey and inspection in the past. “We submitted our report to PMC a few months ago. Our BOO has given a green light to the project, considering the terrible state of traffic congestion in Range Hills under the Khadki Cantonment Board (KCB) limits,” a senior army officer told TOI, choosing to stay unnamed.
“We have conveyed this aspect to the higher authorities. In principle, they have given their consent. Once PMC finalises the project, we will obtain the necessary work permission from the authorities, including the Union ministry of defence (MoD),” said a senior official of the DEO Pune division.
Two weeks ago, Shivajinagar MLA Siddharth Shirole, who has pursued the project for the last two years, discussed the matter with deputy chief minister and district guardian minister Ajit Pawar.