The Times of India         01.12.2010

Four new flyovers to open soon

 AHMEDABAD: The four new flyovers, including one at Gota and the Parimal underpass shall be thrown open for public by the end of December. These, said municipal authorities, will smoothen traffic flow in many parts of the city.

Municipal Commissioner IP Gautam talking to reporters on Tuesday said that the four flyovers — located at Gota, Ladlapir in Shahibaugh, flower market in Jamalpur and Soni-ni-Chawl alongside the Naroda-Narol highway — and the Parimal underpass will be completed in December. Gautam added that the first to be inaugurated will be the Gota flyover. This, he said, will be functional in another 15 days. He added that three more flyovers — one each at Vatva GIDC, CTM crossroads and Thakkar Bapananar — Kubernagar underpass will get operational by end of the financial year.

The civic body set a record of sorts by completing digging work at the critical part of the Parimal Garden railway underpass in just seven days. The construction of this underpass, which is on the Ahmedabad-Botad railway line, was a challenge for the AMC as there was always a fear of earth caving in, resulting in a major accident.

Five labourers had already lost their lives in November last year while digging on this site, when the earth caved in. AMC then took expert advice from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and then Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) boxes were constructed below the railway line. Usually, construction of the underpass, in the railway limit, with the traditional 'box-pushing' method takes about four to six months.