Jamshedpur: The much-awaited Mango flyover is set to miss its July 31 deadline, with the city’s first major grade-separated urban road project now likely to be opened around Durga Puja, road construction department officials said.The delay came as a fresh disappointment for nearly 16 lakh residents of Jamshedpur, who have been waiting for the 2.8-km bridge-cum-flyover to ease chronic traffic snarls on the Mango-Sakchi corridor.The department executive engineer, Deepak Sahay, said the project was in its final phase and efforts were on to clear the remaining hurdles. “Some utility-related issues, including the shifting of the high-tension line, need to be resolved before the flyover can be commissioned. We are trying to complete the remaining work and make it operational around Durga Puja,” Sahay said.The Rs 252-crore project, being executed by Dineshchandra R Agrawal Infracon Pvt Ltd for the department, stretches around 2.8 km and is supported by 57 pillars. It is expected to provide faster connectivity between Mango, Sakchi, Dimna, Pardih and NH-18 and improve traffic movement towards Ranchi, Kolkata and Odisha.The project was conceived to decongest Mango Chowk, one of the city’s major traffic bottlenecks. However, its completion schedule has been pushed back several times. It was earlier expected to be completed in March 2026 before a July 31 deadline was set, which now appears unlikely to be met.The delay has frustrated commuters who negotiate the congested Mango-Sakchi corridor daily.“The flyover is no longer a luxury; it has become a necessity. We have been hearing new inauguration dates every few months,” said businessman Mohammad Arif, who travels daily between Sakchi and Mango.College student Ritu Kumari said commuters were now hoping that the latest deadline would finally be met. “People can see the flyover every day, but cannot use it. We only hope this Durga Puja deadline is finally honoured,” she said.Once operational, the flyover is expected to reduce pressure on the existing Subarnarekha bridge crossings and ease traffic movement between Mango and the main city.
