Nagpur: After a prolonged seven-year wait, the Kamptee Road double-decker flyover is finally nearing completion and is expected to open to vehicular traffic soon. While the flyover is intended to ease traffic congestion, there are growing concerns that it may actually exacerbate traffic issues between LIC Square and Samvidhan Square.

This development adds a third flyover to the already congested area, joining the Sadar-Mankapur-Katol Road flyover and the Ramjhula flyover. With all three flyovers converging in close proximity, traffic experts fear increased chaos on the busy stretch between LIC Square and Samvidhan Square.

The existing Sadar flyover has already contributed to severe traffic bottlenecks, forcing traffic police to divert vehicles via Residency Road to manage the flow. The new Kamptee flyover’s landing near LIC Square could intensify the traffic woes, but the full impact will only be known once the flyover becomes operational.

Currently, vehicles descending from the Sadar flyover create a hazard as they land on the busy stretch between LIC and Samvidhan Square. City traffic police have already implemented diversions at RBI Square, redirecting vehicles toward LIC Square through Liberty Cinema junction in an attempt to reduce accidents at the Y-shaped junction where the Sadar-Mankapur-Katol Road flyover converges.

Despite these efforts, many motorists, especially four-wheeler drivers, have been bypassing the diversions and taking dangerous U-turns on the flyover to access Kamptee Road from LIC Square. This has created a new accident-prone zone, forcing traffic police to increase their presence. However, some drivers continue to take risky shortcuts, often evading monitoring in an effort to save fuel.

With both the Kamptee and Ramjhula flyovers landing at LIC Square, and the Sadar flyover already contributing to bottlenecks, the expected influx of traffic from Kamptee Road may overwhelm the area. Congestion on Residency Road and around LIC Square is likely to worsen as more vehicles join the existing traffic.

Construction of the Kamptee Road double-decker flyover, which began seven years ago, faced multiple delays, including a three-year halt. Recently, Maha Metro secured the necessary land at LIC Square, expediting the long-stalled construction of the landing ramp. The district administration finally approved the acquisition of 2,383.36 square meters of land needed for the flyover’s ramp and service roads, allowing the project to move forward.

As the flyover nears completion, the central question remains: will it alleviate the city’s traffic congestion, or will it become another choke point in an already overcrowded traffic system?