Billed as a New Year gift to the city, the Ambedkar Flyover has started to lose its sheen, with many of its street lights falling into disrepair, forcing commuters to navigate in the dark.
The flyover has 154 poles with a total of 774 lights. Each pole is equipped with three types of lights: a red light at the top, a main light on the arm of the pole, and a strip light at its base.
In front of DB Mall, more than three consecutive streetlights are completely non-operational. At present, lights on more than 30 of these poles are not functioning properly.
Naveen, a manager at a well known food aggregator, says that only one light on the flyover used to work properly, and now even that is starting to fail.
“I return from work at 10 PM, and by then, these lights are barely functioning. It feels like everything has been done in a makeshift manner. Instead of doing it this way, it would have been better if they hadn’t built it (the flyover) at all,” he adds.
Inaugurated by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on January 23, the flyover was built at a cost of a whopping Rs 154 crore. Its foundation was laid in the presence of former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan. It was originally planned to be constructed within two years, but the project suffered repeated delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The flyover extends from Ganesh Mandir to Gayatri Flyover, with a two-way arm towards Gayatri Mandir measuring 2,534 metres. The third lane, leading towards Gayatri Mandir, is 200 metres long, bringing the total length to 2,734 metres.
Many poles have non-operational upper red lights, and this issue persists across all arms of the flyover. Following its inauguration, concerns were raised regarding its design and construction quality, leading to the suspension of some engineers.
Workers were frequently seen carrying out repairs at night, and patches were visible on the flyover. To conceal these, PWD labourers were observed covering them. Furthermore, to ensure proper water flow during the rainy season, the slope of the road needed to be maintained. However, during construction, the slope was not correctly aligned, resulting in the lower sections being higher than the central part. To compensate for this, additional cementing was carried out.
To protect the flyover from shocks, cuts were made between the joined blocks, which were then filled with resin. The flyover has been a topic of discussion since its opening due to its confusing design and the bottleneck effect on traffic flow. Off the record, PWD officials acknowledge these issues.
Due to flaws in the traffic planning, a man lost his life on February 20. Passers-by complain that the flyover is too narrow and causes confusion at the Bhopal Haat, Shaurya Smarak, and Vallabh Bhavan routes near the Gayatri Mandir end. This unfortunate accident occurred at the Y-junction. The traffic plan for the flyover had been developed in consultation with experts from the Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT).
PWD Executive Engineer (EE) Arvind Singh Chauhan stated that all the lights on the bridge are functioning, and any that are not working will be inspected. He added that the maintenance of these lights remains under the company's warranty period for one year, after which the responsibility shifts to the municipal corporation.
