Expansion of Bhandari ROB to help resolve traffic congestion

Neeraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 12

The ongoing expansion of the Bhandari Railway Overbridge’s (ROB) is another attempt by the government to resolve its mammoth traffic trouble.

There has been a phenomenal rise in the number of vehicles on roads, which in turn has led to a rise in traffic problems, over the last one decade in the city.

There are over one million registered vehicles. Even if one-third of them come out on roads every day, the level of chaos can easily be assessed. Besides, there are a huge number of vehicles of tourists, hence swelling the traffic on road.

In 2013, a comprehensive mobility plan (CMP) was released wherein the government had envisaged the infrastructural needs of the city up to 2032. The study strongly suggested doubling the share of public transport modes from the present 30 to 60 per cent and increasing the share of Public Mass Transport System (PMTS) from four to 40 per cent to bring down congestion and pollution level in the environment.

Balram Kumar Sharma, president of the Punjab Sudhar Sabha, said the city received its local mass transport but it did not realise the desired result. “The elevated road was heralded as the solution for its traffic mess but that was not the case. It increased the traffic rush on the Bhandari ROB and the adjoining roads.”

Dinesh Bassi, chairman of the Amritsar Improvement Trust, which is executing and financing the project, says the expansion of the Bhandari ROB has been undertaken on a war footing. Once finished by April, it is likely to be operational in May. Two more lanes, 31-foot each, would be added to the existing roundabout of the ROB over the railway lines, shooting up its capacity.

Elaborating the proposed traffic flow, Bassi said the traffic coming from the railway link road via Queen’s Road would directly ascend the ramps, so they would not have to travel to the Crystal Chowk, as they do now.

The construction of new railway overbridge, parallel to the existing Bhandari ROB, is being keenly awaited by commuters for a trouble-free access across the railway lines. They are of the view that the traffic scenario is likely to worsen, once the schools and colleges become operational.