Nashik Phata flyover work set to begin

With the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) granting approval, construction of the much-awaited Nashik Phata flyover on the old Pune-Mumbai highway will begin in September, Pimpri Chinchwad municipal commissioner Ashish Sharma told TOI on Wednesday. Sharma said this last major hurdle was crossed when, two days ago, the NHAI gave its approval. It may be noted that the railways and the defence authorities had already given their consent for the plan. He said that the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) would soon invite tenders for the project. Meanwhile, the land acquisition office has sent notices to the owners of 48 shops and houses, which fall along the flyover route, to voluntarily remove their structures till August 7. “The land acquisition process will be over soon. But this is only a minor hurdle and will not hamper the flyover plan,” said Sharma. Nashik Phata chowk is one of the busiest chowks on the Pune-Mumbai highway in the Pimpri-Chinchwad township. The Pune-Mumbai and the Pune-Nashik highways meet at this junction, which witnesses heavy traffic throughout the day. The civic body has widened the Pune-Mumbai highway from this chowk to Pimpri, while the widening of the highway from here to Kasarwadi is in progress. A flyover was a long-pending requirement here to enable vehicles to pass through the chowk from Dapodi to Nigdi and vice-versa without having to stop anywhere.