Gmada races against time to build bridge ahead of 4-nation hockey tourney

Mohali: The countdown to the highly anticipated U-21 Four Nation Youth Hockey Cup has begun. And the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (Gmada) is facing mounting pressure to complete the construction of the parallel bridge on N Choe, located right outside Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium in Phase 9, Mohali.
The international hockey tournament, announced by Punjab CM Bhagwant Singh Mann, is scheduled for May. Teams from Germany, Spain, Australia and India will participate in it. It marks the first international event at the Mohali stadium, which has previously hosted only domestic leagues.
The bridge, part of a dual carriageway expansion project, is crucial as it lies adjacent to the main entry and exit points of the stadium. Delays in construction have raised concerns about potential logistical challenges and traffic snarls during the tournament.
However, Gmada chief engineer Anuj Sehgal said, "We are through with 90% of the work on the dual carriageway. Only the bitumen layering remains, and we are confident that the bridge will be ready before the tournament kicks off."
The dual carriageway project is part of Gmada's broader initiative to widen three major roads in Mohali to ease traffic congestion. One of the key roads under this plan is the shopping street stretch connecting Phase 8 with Phase 11, which runs alongside both the hockey and cricket stadiums.
However, this road-widening project has faced repeated delays, missing previous deadlines of Aug 2023, Dec 2023 and this March. Gmada claims the first of the three stretches will be completed by next month.
Local residents and commuters have been using these roads under construction as alternate travel routes to bypass the city's busier intersections. The completion of the bridge and dual carriageways is expected to ease access to the stadium and improve traffic flow across the region.
As excitement builds for the international tournament, all eyes are now on Gmada to deliver the crucial infrastructure on time, ensuring that Mohali puts its best foot forward on the global sporting stage.
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RAMPING UP INFRA
The bridge, part of a dual carriageway expansion project, is crucial as it lies adjacent to the main entry and exit points of the Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium in Phase 9, Mohali
Delays in construction have raised concerns about potential logistical challenges and traffic snarls during the tournament
The dual carriageway project is part of Gmada's broader initiative to widen three major roads in Mohali to ease traffic congestion. One of the key roads under this plan is the shopping street stretch connecting Phase 8 with Phase 11, which runs alongside both the hockey and cricket stadiums
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"We are through with 90% of the work on the dual carriageway. Only the bitumen layering remains, and we are confident that the bridge will be ready before the tournament kicks off"
Anuj Sehgal, chief engineer of Gmada