Srinagar, Dec 02: The government on Tuesday evening opened the Sanat Nagar flyover for public movement, completing the trio of flyovers along the 3.23-km NH-44 decongestion corridor between Bemina and Nowgam.
A senior official from the Roads & Buildings (R&B) Department said that the opening followed “urgent directions” from Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary to end the daily traffic chaos at the junction.
“The flyover is traffic-ready. Minor works will continue, but public movement has been allowed,” the official said.
With this, Bemina, Nowgam and Sanat Nagar flyovers are now all operational, creating Srinagar’s ‘first 3.23-km NH-44 decongestion uninterrupted tri-flyover corridor’ aimed at easing pressure on one of the busiest stretches of the city.
The official added that the Sanat Nagar segment had faced delays earlier due to technical issues and utility-shifting work, including power, drainage and telecom lines, but is now completed and open. “Those hurdles slowed us down, but the corridor is fully functional now,” he said.
Commuters welcomed the development.
“This junction troubled people for years. Opening it will finally bring some relief,” said Javid Ahmad, a commuter from Hyderpora. Another commuter from Rawalpora said, “Traffic would choke here every evening. This was long overdue.”
To ease chronic congestion on NH-44 in Srinagar, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) planned three flyovers at Bemina, Nowgam and Sanat Nagar in the year 2020. Bemina and Nowgam flyovers were completed first, while Sanat Nagar faced delays due to technical and utility-shifting issues.
With the recent opening of Sanat Nagar, “all three flyovers are now functional, forming the 3.23-km tri-flyover corridor” aimed at reducing traffic bottlenecks on one of the city’s busiest routes—(KNO)
