Plans on to ease traffic congestion in Imphal city
Traffic roundels set to be redesigned, surveyed
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, December 19 2018:
In a bid to ease traffic congestion and inconveniences at various locations of Imphal area, a team of PWD engineers has begun necessary inspection to redesign the traffic roundel located at various road intersections/junctions as well as to construct foot bridges for pedestrians.
As per the initiative, the traffic roundels at Chingmeirong Khongnang Ani Karak, near Kangla Northern and Southern gates, in front of Raj Bhavan and near the Chief Minister's Secretariat will either be shrunk or remodelled as per the changing times while steps will also be taken up to construct foot bridges near BT Road, Johnstone Higher Secondary School and near Keishampat junction.
Speaking to media persons at Chingmeirong during the inspection drive, PWD National Highways Circle Superintendent Engineer, Yumnam Joykumar (who led the engineer team) said that the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has given its nod to Rs 18.47 crore to be sanctioned for the aforementioned projects and following an open e-tender through the PWD, the task has been assigned to a Bengaluru based private company called Sanjay Infra Pvt Ltd.
Today's inspection drive has been carried out so as to ensure that the work can begin at the earliest, he assured.
Speaking about the traffic roundel at Khongnang Ani-Karak, the SE said that as the traffic point has been in existence since a long time back, only technical or engineering perspective will not suffice and the sentiments of the locals have to be considered as well in order to begin any work on modifying the traffic roundel.
Explaining that such traffic roundels were abundant in London in the past but were quickly phased out because they led to heavy traffic congestions, the SE added that in a similar manner, a French consultant company called Aegis International (apart from research by PWD itself) had also concluded that the presence of such types of traffic roundel in Imphal will lead to heavy traffic congestions.
He narrated that the traffic roundels were made in such a fashion in light of the 5th National Games in 1999 and added that the PWD engineers calculated to see if a smaller traffic island can be constructed without harming the two banyan trees.
A similar approach will also be adopted for the traffic roundels at Kangla gate, Raj Bhavan and CMO office, he added.
On the other hand, Joykumar said that in a bid to provide extra convenience to the pedestrians and shoppers coming to Khwairamband Keithel, plans are underway to construct a foot bridge connecting Gambhir Singh Shopping Arcade (BT Road) with the northern side of Mapal Kangjeibung and the eastern side of Johnstone Higher Secondary School near Kangla moat, as per the MoRTH project.
A footbridge will also be constructed at Keishampat junction, he said adding that three foot bridges will be constructed as a trial and additional footbridges will be constructed based on the success of the first three.
He explained that soil exploration for the construction of the three footbridges has been completed and added that they will be constructed using the latest technologies and further claimed that such kind of footbridges can be found only in some places like Pune and Delhi.
Steel tubular rods fabricated outside the State will be used in building the foot bridges and they will be roofed with tensile membrane as well.
The foundation works will begin.within a week, the SE claimed adding that the Department is targeting the last week of January next year for beginning the foot laying works.
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