NHAI Sits On Bhande Plot-Dighori Flyover As Traffic Crawls Beneath

Nagpur: Even though the Bhande Plot-Dighori flyover is virtually complete, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) continues to keep the corridor closed, forcing hundreds of commuters to endure severe traffic congestion on the road below every day.The delay comes despite NHAI's earlier assurance that the flyover would be opened to the public by the end of April — nearly two months ahead of the official June 30 deadline for the entire Rs998-crore Indora-Dighori flyover project.While the authority now cites a pending ‘safety audit' as the reason for the delay, frustrated commuters and residents are questioning why a structurally complete flyover — one that has already undergone successful load testing — cannot be partially opened to ease daily traffic woes.The Bhande Plot-Dighori flyover forms a key segment of the ambitious Indora-Dighori elevated corridor project, one of Nagpur's largest and most complicated urban infrastructure works, cutting through densely populated areas. The project comprises two major flyovers — Kamal Chowk to Reshimbagh Square and Bhande Plot to Dighori — with the existing Sakkardara flyover integrated into the corridor. Despite the structure being largely complete, commuters continue to crawl through traffic bottlenecks on Umred Road. "NHAI claimed the flyover would open by April-end. The structure is almost ready, but we are still stuck in massive traffic jams every day. They should at least open the completed stretch and continue the remaining work simultaneously," said Pratik Rannaware, a regular commuter.A visit by TOI to the site revealed that only the up and down ramps near Bada Tajbagh remain unfinished. Residents pointed out that traffic movement from the Sakkardara flyover up to Dighori could still be started immediately, creating an uninterrupted elevated corridor of nearly five kilometres and significantly reducing congestion on one of the city's busiest roads.Sources said the remaining ramp work may take another 15 days. However, NHAI officials indicated that the wait could be much longer. NHAI project director Abhijeet Jichkar said safety audits by experts are yet to be completed and claimed the process may take another one-and-a-half months.Ironically, the flyover has already witnessed crucial load tests on two major spans of 90 metres and 60 metres, indicating structural readiness. Yet, despite mounting public frustration and worsening traffic chaos below, the authority has shown little urgency in operationalising the near-complete corridor.The 2.2-km-long flyover begins where the existing Sakkardara flyover descends at Bhande Plot Square and extends up to a point ahead of Dighori Naka on the busy Umred Road. Once operational, it is expected to significantly ease congestion in one of the city's most traffic-prone corridors.