Pune’s ₹31 Crore ‘Bridge To Nowhere’: How A Missing 200m Road Has Kept This Structure Inoperational Since 2019 – PHOTOS |
Pune’s Balewadi-Wakad Bridge, built over the Mula River, is about 30 metres wide and 175 metres long, and was built in 2019 for Rs 31 crore. Though it was planned to connect Baner, Wakad, and Balewadi in West Pune, major issues have prevented the bridge from being operational, and it remains unused to date.
Pune’s ₹31 Crore ‘Bridge To Nowhere’: How A Missing 200m Road Has Kept This Structure Inoperational Since 2019 – PHOTOS |
An unfinished 200m road stretch on the Balewadi side, due to incomplete land aquistion has resulted in issues, making vehicle access impossible from that side.
Hence, commuters have to take a 7-km-long detour, making their travel time increase by 45 minutes to an hour, even after spending a whopping amount of Rs 31 crores of public money. Delays in the issuance of necessary approvals and orders have kept the structure shut, despite public demand.
Pune’s ₹31 Crore ‘Bridge To Nowhere’: How A Missing 200m Road Has Kept This Structure Inoperational Since 2019 – PHOTOS |
Pune’s ₹31 Crore ‘Bridge To Nowhere’: How A Missing 200m Road Has Kept This Structure Inoperational Since 2019 – PHOTOS |
Moreover, the laxity in action by the Pune civic administration has turned the Balewadi-Wakad Bridge into a parking space for trucks and a dumping area. However, petitions by the alert public resulted in the Bombay High Court’s intervention in 2025.
The Bombay HC ordered the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to finish all formalities within two months and set aside Rs 25 crore for the project’s completion. Although the project got a nod, the inauguration of the bridge is still dependent on the PMC completing the work as directed by the HC.
Pune’s ₹31 Crore ‘Bridge To Nowhere’: How A Missing 200m Road Has Kept This Structure Inoperational Since 2019 – PHOTOS |
While the PMC promised to open the bridge within six months from April 2025 in its affidavit, as of December 2025, the area near the bridge continues to be a traffic gridlock. Residents commuting between Wakad and Balewadi face delays of 40-60 minutes daily while opting for the alternative route via the Mumbai-Bengaluru highway.
Reportedly, no progress has been made on the “missing link” from Balewadi so far. The district administration and the PMC have held review meetings to speed up surveys and mapping, but the situation has not changed.
In addition to this, the Butterfly Bridge in Pimpri-Chinchwad, which was being constructed over the Pawana River, remains incomplete due to issues, including objections by housing societies and changes in design. Work restarted on the Kaspate Chowk Bridge in December after a 12-year gap due to similar land and funding issues.
