Rehan Qayoom Mir
Srinagar, Sep 28: The commuters across the city have expressed frustration over the unending traffic congestion at Rambagh flyover, saying this has made their lives “hell”. However, the officials said they have sought an alternative route which will be opened in a “few weeks”.
The perennial issue, which has plagued this vital transportation route for a very long time, is the traffic coming from Lal Chowk towards Chanapora and Natipora. It is getting badly choked at Rambagh due to the narrow tail end of the flyover, causing severe traffic jams.
The commuters expressed frustration due to the long-standing traffic snarls at the Rambagh flyover, saying it is “haunting us badly”.
The situation has prompted calls for urgent action from both local authorities and concerned citizens.
“It’s a nightmare trying to get to reach the workplace on time. The traffic at Rambagh flyover is unpredictable, and it is costing us precious hours every day,” said Mubashir, a resident of Nowgam.
“The flyover is very good, but when the vehicles go towards Chanapora near the tail end of the bridge, the traffic gets choked badly, as it is a very narrow end,” he said, adding that the authorities must think of some serious and permanent solution for it.
Another local said, “The Rambagh flyover, a crucial link connecting various parts of the city, has been a hotbed of traffic problems for far too long. Authorities should consider an alternative as it’s a serious traffic issue.”
When contacted, SSP Traffic, City Srinagar, Muzaffar Shah, said that it was an engineering defect as the traffic comes at high speed and gets choked because of the narrow tail end. “To resolve the issue permanently, we have sought an alternative route under the Smart City Project and the road will be opened within a few weeks after which the issue will come to an end,” he said.
For now, we have done barricading to maintain the lane difference, the SSP Traffic said, adding that the traffic conjunction issue happens in morning and evening hours. “After the alternative route, it will come to an end permanently,” he added.
