Pune Grand Tour Spurs Road Renaissance

The Pune Grand Tour cycle race has initiated a significant upgrade in Pune’s road infrastructure, featuring installations and graffiti. Residents welcome the changes but emphasize the need for maintenance throughout the city. Nearly 75 km of roads were improved, and the project aims to set new civic benchmarks.

The Pune Grand Tour cycle race has prompted a significant makeover of the city's roads, involving everything from fresh installations and graffiti to the rebuilding of dilapidated dividers. Residents have widely praised the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) but insist this level of infrastructure must be sustained city-wide, not just in select areas.

Since October 19, PMC has enhanced approximately 75 km of major thoroughfares, laying double-layer asphalt on damaged roads and elevating drainage chambers, according to PMC Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram. The initiative aims to bring roads to international standards beyond just the cycling event, asserting year-round infrastructure improvement.

As part of the upgrading, more than one lakh metric tonnes of asphalt were used, and both aesthetic and practical enhancements were made, including new wall art and clearer road signage. The effort even attracted corporate sponsorship for beautification. However, maintaining these improvements is the main challenge, and locals have called for equitable upgrades across all city neighborhoods.

(With inputs from agencies.)