Nagpur’s Amravati Road to Get Smoother Ride as RTO Flyover Nears Launch
Nagpur, India: The long-awaited RTO Flyover is nearing completion, with the final slab work at Ravi Nagar Square set to begin soon. The National Highway (NH) division of the state PWD, which is handling the project, plans to open the flyover by the end of May. Officials have confirmed that preparations for laying the slab using Ultra High Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC), also known as Malaysian Technology, are complete.
A PWD official stated that while the slab-laying process is complex, all necessary preparations have been made. Once the Ravi Nagar slab is completed, the flyover’s slab work will be finished, leaving only the construction of a retaining wall near the RTO. This wall will be built after replacing the 50-year-old bridge near the RTO with a new one.
The 2.85 km-long flyover stretches from University Campus Square to just before Bhole Petrol Pump Square on Amravati Road. It is being constructed at a cost of ₹245 crore as part of the ₹478 crore Amravati Road Traffic Improvement Project (ARTIP), aimed at reducing congestion. This project, along with the Wadi flyover, is being carried out under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).
After the slab at Ravi Nagar is completed, the PWD will also rebuild another old bridge near Ravi Nagar, with both bridges being reconstructed at a cost of ₹1 crore each.
The RTO flyover was initially scheduled to open by February 28, but delays due to land acquisition, tree-cutting permissions, and other construction challenges have pushed back the timeline. Now, the PWD plans to open the flyover by May-end, while work on roads, footpaths, and other finishing tasks will continue until July-end.
A major hurdle has been obtaining tree-cutting permissions from the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC). The project required 127 trees to be cut, and as compensation, the NMC mandated the plantation of 4,445 trees. So far, 4,100 trees have been planted at sites including the university campus and LIT College.
PWD officials claim that delays in tree-cutting approvals are slowing down the project. “The NMC is granting permissions in phases. So far, we have approval for 82 trees, but the remaining approvals are still pending,” said an official. He added that the frequent demand for revised plans by NMC officials is further delaying progress, increasing project costs.
According to the PWD, delays in land acquisition lead to financial losses, as contractors demand compensation for stalled work, causing wastage of public funds. However, an NMC official clarified that approvals follow due process, and remaining permissions will be granted soon.
With final construction work now underway, Nagpur commuters can expect the RTO Flyover to be open for use by the end of May, bringing much-needed relief to traffic congestion on Amravati Road.
