Hill Cutting and Controlled Blasts Transform Dive Ghat as Palkhi Marg Upgrade Brings Temporary Road Halts
Work on transforming the Dive Ghat stretch into a wider and safer highway corridor under the Palkhi Marg initiative has entered a critical phase with the highways authority now periodically sealing the route from both ends while crews detonate charges and crush rock faces embedded in the hillside above the carriageway. The first closure under this arrangement ran for two hours on the afternoon of June 22 and the executing agency has signalled that comparable suspensions will recur on working days throughout the weeks ahead as earthmoving and stone removal operations grow in scale. The underlying objective of the entire exercise is to carve out additional lane width along a heavily used connection between Pune and Saswad thereby reducing bottlenecks that have long frustrated freight carriers and private motorists alike. Project officials noted that detonating explosives near a live traffic stream is not a viable option and that the scheduled halts represent the only responsible way to protect both the workforce on the slope and the vehicles passing beneath.
Reactions on the ground have been mixed with many travellers accepting the disruption as an unavoidable feature of meaningful road improvement while others expressed pointed dissatisfaction at what they described as a lack of forewarning before the June 22 shutdown. Several motorists reported waiting for close to an hour in stationary queues with no prior knowledge that the route would be sealed that afternoon and called on the authority to issue clear notices through local media and digital channels well before each planned closure. The highways authority responded by asking the public to build flexibility into their travel plans and reaffirmed its commitment to scheduling interruptions outside morning and evening peak periods wherever the construction programme allows. Once the hillside work concludes and the expanded road surface is open to traffic the route is expected to offer a noticeably smoother and less congested experience for the large number of people who depend on it every day.
Similar News
Monsoon Deluge Exposes PMC Road Repair Failures
28 Sep 2023
Amnesty Scheme to Reduce Stamp Duty Deficit
02 Dec 2023
Historic Bhide Wada Set for Redevelopment by PMC
06 Dec 2023
PMC Approved Bus Bay on Nagar Road
12 Dec 2023
PMC Phased Approach to Repair 40 Aging Bridges
08 Jan 2024
Long Weekend से Pune-Satara Highway पर लगा लंबा!
27 Jan 2024
आखिर कब Open होगा Pune Airport का New Terminal?
06 Feb 2024
Pune Areas to Experience Water Shortage Tomorrow
07 Feb 2024
PMC demolishes 29 Hilltop Properties
09 Feb 2024
PMC under scrutiny for repeated budget inflation
03 Apr 2024
Pune Battle Against Rising Garbage-Related Fires
08 Apr 2024
IMD Warns Dry Conditions Challenge 125 Districts
19 Apr 2024
Residents Sweat Through Frequent Power Outages
28 Apr 2024
BSI to Open New Botanical Garden in Mundhwa
27 Aug 2024
KCB 326-Acre Merger with PMC Awaits Approval
25 Dec 2024
PMRDA Unveils ₹67 Crore Plan to Boost Tourism
15 Feb 2025
Land Acquisition for PMRDA Ring Road Speeds Up
20 Jul 2025
Civic Apathy Delays Pune Warje Road Project
08 Aug 2025
Why PCMC Shut Down Multiple RMC Plants.
17 Nov 2025
New Repairs Same Old Pothole Problems in Pune.
18 Nov 2025
Yerawada Katraj Tunnel A New Way to Cross Pune
07 Jan 2026
What 2025 Tells Us About Pune Real Estate Demand
09 Jan 2026
Latest News
