Holkar Bridge Pune: A traffic story

Its been something I have always wanted to write but was too lazy to do so. While in general Pune traffic is brain dead and traffic cops useless there are a few exceptions. If you take the Nagar road from Aundh to Yerwada, you will have to cross the Holkar bridge near Bombay Sappers. Its a place where a 6 lane road encounters a 2lane bridge and there is no alternative. The bridge at one of its end has a trisection to compound misery.
However this is one place where I find traffic cops and wardens always present during peak times and managing traffic. And the traffic is actually managed. The jams happen only when a vehicle breaks down near the bridge else the traffic moves. Which is not to say that its a breeze. When traffic merges, 3 lanes of oncoming traffic into 1, and Pune road sense there are bound to be hurdles. However it is ensures that the traffic keeps moving. Still during peak times having a kilometer long line of vehicles is comming.
Recently a new bridge is approved and work too started. But since its a government job we can expect the 100m or so bridge to take 4-5 years to build. So i still dread peak times where 1/2 a km of my 10 km ride takes 1/2 of my total commute time.
While last couple of weeks of December had almost no waiting at 10, I thought it was because of the holidays. Come January the traffic cops made one of the turns a no go and in the process eliminated the tri-section. Now its 2 weeks into January and the traffic is still a breeze. It maybe the truckers strike or it may be this change in usage that is the reason. I also find the traffic density a lot lot less. while maybe it is because there is some road somewhere that is maybe closed and hence people are not taking that road it looks unlikely since as far as I know that bridge is a must crossed.
Anyways one must count ones blessings. That 1/2 km stretch now takes abt 1 minute to cross and lets thank God for that. If you are looking at getting from Viman Nagar/Yerwada/Koregaon to Aundh/Wakad/Khadki/Mumbai during peak times, these days you can simply avoid the traditional city route and get onto Nagar Road. City route will take an hour, Nagar road will take you 20 minutes to reach Aundh. Yeye!