Jaipur’s Civil Lines RoB traffic to start in early July

Jaipur: Traffic movement on Jaipur’s under-construction Civil Lines rail overbridge (RoB) is expected to begin in early July, Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) officials said.Confirming the development, a senior JDA engineer stated that they are confident of completing the construction of the RoB by June. “Now, it’s up to the management to decide on the date of the inauguration and formally allow traffic on the RoB,” the engineer told TOI Wednesday.The long-delayed Civil Lines rail overbridge is finally nearing completion, offering hope of major traffic relief in one of Jaipur’s busy stretches. Officials said the remaining work is focused on the girder structure that will be installed above the railway tracks, a crucial phase before the bridge can be opened for public use.Engineers said coordination with North Western Railway is already in place for the installation process. Since the work requires temporary restrictions on train movement, JDA has secured the necessary permission and will now communicate the exact schedule. “We have already got permission from NWR and need to inform them of the dates and timings. The effect on train movements will be minimal. It won’t take more than three hours a day, for two days, to complete the installation,” the engineer added.The RoB project began in January 2021 and was originally expected to be completed in about 18 months. Instead, the 700-metre structure linking Jacob Road with Jamnalal Bajaj Marg has taken more than five years, largely due to legal hurdles. According to officials, construction was stalled after a section of property owners on Jamnalal Bajaj Marg moved the High Court, and then because of disputes with the contractual agency.The delay has also drawn political attention. Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot recently used the project in his social media campaign, ‘Intezaar Shastra’, targeting the BJP government over pending public works. In one post, he said, “This railway overbridge was planned to eliminate traffic jams and connect Jacob Road to Jamnalal Bajaj Marg. The Civil Lines area was expected to get major relief, but due to the BJP govt’s lethargy and political malice, the project has now turned into an accident-prone zone. If this is the condition of development just 100 metres from the Chief Minister’s residence, one can imagine the state of the rest of Rajasthan.”