Amritsar: Bhandari Bridge partially open but traffic woes still the same

Charanjit Singh Teja

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Amritsar, February 27

Despite opening the Bhandari Bridge partially, there is hardly any respite for commuters. The carpeting work of newly constructed bridge and connecting road is still incomplete. Opening one side of the bridge provided some respite to commuters, but residents still get stuck in traffic jams on the bridge and other roads leading to Bhandari Bridge.

As the road leading to Kachehri Chowk is yet to be carpeted, the traffic moves at a snail’s pace here. The road from Crystal Chowk, too, face jams near Giani tea stall. However, haphazardly parked cars on road are the main reason behind this chaos.

On the other hand, the walled city residents have got some respite from opening the bridge, as they are now able to commute hassle-free from the Gol Baag side to Kachehri Road.

The traffic police have not removed barricades, installed to divert traffic coming from Golden Gate to the railway station at Bhandari Bridge, so far.

“The traffic jams on and around the bridge continue to irk residents. The project is incomplete and the administration opened the new bridge. The road should be carpeted to address the traffic issue,” said Kewal Kumar, a resident.

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Navjot Singh Sidhu, who has been contesting from his home turf Amritsar East constituency, partially opened the Bhandari Bridge expansion for the public on February 18, just two days before the Assembly elections.

The Bhandari Bridge, which connects the old city areas with the new city, is the main traffic intersection. For the past few years, due to increase in population and vehicular traffic, traffic jams have become a frequent phenomenon at the bridge.