Severe Traffic Jam Persists at Chandmari Roundabout in Guwahati

Traffic Woes Continue

GUWAHATI, March 16: The Chandmari roundabout on the Maharaj Prithu flyover has been plagued by traffic jams for two consecutive days, causing significant delays for commuters even on Sunday.

Despite the presence of extra traffic personnel aimed at managing vehicle flow, the situation showed little improvement, with long lines of vehicles crawling throughout the day.

Officials from the Public Works Department (Roads) had predicted potential congestion at this roundabout, yet it remains uncertain what specific actions were taken to mitigate the issue.

A representative from PWD (R) mentioned that traffic management at this junction is now under the traffic police's jurisdiction, limiting the department's ability to intervene. In response, the traffic police are considering the installation of traffic signals to improve vehicle movement.

However, PWD (Roads) officials voiced concerns that merely adding signals might not be enough to alleviate the ongoing traffic issues.

“The traffic here has become intolerable. Even on a Sunday, it took me almost 15 minutes to navigate the roundabout,” shared one commuter.

“If emergency vehicles are stuck for such long durations, it highlights the severity of the situation. Authorities need to act swiftly,” remarked a local resident.

On Saturday, numerous vehicles, including those for emergency services, were delayed for nearly thirty minutes at the roundabout due to the heavy congestion.

Concerns are being raised about whether any analysis was conducted to determine if the flyover would alleviate traffic before its construction.

“Previously, the Chandmari flyover only managed traffic from two directions. Now, with the roundabout, it must accommodate traffic from four directions. It’s common sense that this would lead to congestion. It’s puzzling how the government did not foresee this,” commented a frequent commuter.