Baner Wing of University Chowk Flyover Set to Open This Week: Relief for Pune Commuters
Pune: Commuters travelling across University Chowk may soon get some relief from regular traffic snarls around the area. The Baner side ramp of the integrated double-decker flyover at the key junction is expected to open this week, PMRDA officials said on Monday.
PMRDA chief engineer Rinaj Pathan told TOI that work on signage is underway and the flyover towards the Baner-Shivajinagar side should open by the end of this week. 'The Pashan side will take longer as it will be completed within two to three months,' she said. Once fully opened, the flyover will reduce time, fuel consumption, traffic congestion, and vehicular pollution in the corridor, PMRDA officials reiterated.
Nearly 90% of the overall construction has been completed, with the remaining ramp works in the final stages. The Aundh–Shivajinagar (E-Square) corridor flyover opened to traffic in August 2025. The 1.7-km-long flyover features three-lane up-ramps from Aundh, Baner, and Pashan that merge into a three-lane integrated double-decker bridge, shared with the Metro corridor above. The project features a unique structure with the Metro on the upper deck and a dual-traffic flyover below, built on a single-pier system.
Commuters said the opening is long overdue. 'It takes nearly 45 minutes to cross University Chowk during peak hours,' a daily commuter said, adding that traffic congestion worsened due to pending ramp works. The delay in the Pashan side ramp's opening has been attributed to utility shifting and repair of a leaking water pipeline. Many commuters pointed out that this project has already been long delayed. In 2020, during the Covid lockdown, two existing single-lane flyovers at the junction had been demolished with government approval and Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) consent to make way for the current integrated structure. The demolition and construction were executed through Tata Projects Ltd (TPL), the contractor of the Metro concessionaire.
The total length of the double-decker flyover, including the ramps, is to be 1,763.52 meters, its viaduct length is 1,112.52 meters, and a special feature is the 55-meter-long steel girder installed at the main junction for smooth traffic management. The total project cost is estimated to be Rs 277 crore. Metro trial runs cover the entire 23-kilometer stretch. Trial runs of the Metro are ongoing on the PMRDA Hinjewadi-Shivajinagar line. While earlier, only nine stations were covered, PMRDA officials said that now, the entire 23-kilometer section has been traversed. 'We are slowly conducting trial runs for the entire line. Metro stations along the corridor are currently in progress,' an official said. The entire Metro line's operations are touted to start by April 2026.
