Slow pace of Dalgate bridge construction irks commuters

Srinagar: Delay in completion of the Dalgate bridge is taking toll on commuters who have to face massive traffic jams on the busy route.

The bridge links many areas, including City Centre areas, Downtown, and Boulevard. Officials from the Traffic department have been saying that due to construction of the bridge near Badyari Chowk, MA Road is witnessing a heavy rush of vehicles, more than its capacity

They said that Dalgate-bound vehicles coming from Downtown take the Sangarmall route instead of Badyari Crossing, overburdening the already overburdened MA Road. The commuters say that the work on the bridge has been going at a snail’s pace for a long time, and the diversion following the construction project is creating traffic bottlenecks.

“Whether you are coming from Downtown, Boulevard, or City Centre, traffic is choked on the Khayam-Badyari chowk stretch. This leads to long traffic jams taking a huge toll on commuters. It has been a long time since we witnessed the work going on, but there seems to be no major progress,” said Ishfaq Ahmad, a commuter.

The commuters said that the diversions triggered by the construction project are taking a toll on other routes in the area triggering heavy traffic jams.

The office goers and students said that a lot of time is wasted while being stuck in the traffic jams at Dalgate.

“This is also affecting the Harwan bound vehicles. During peak hours, the situation gets worse. Thousands of students and office goes take the routes which are crippled by the construction project,” said Adil Ahmad, a student.

The locals and traders in the vicinity of Badyari Chowk Dalgate say that this causes inconvenience for them. They said given the importance of the bridge, authorities should work overtime to finish the work.

“Our routine travel on the route has become nearly impossible. Our school-going children are also suffering. The issue is also hampering the movement of essential services. We hope that authorities will expedite work and soon the bridge will be constructed,” said a local at Dalgate.

When contacted, SE R&B, Sajad Naqib, said that the department has expedited the work on the bridge, and it is going on at full scale.

“The bridge will be open to the public by the end of December. First few months, the work was not visible as it was the start of the project. We had to work on diversions. Now you will witness visible changes in the work,” he said.