Patna: Traffic restrictions have been put in place at the Chitkohra road over bridge (ROB) in Patna for the next 15 days as repair work gets underway, prompting the traffic police to divert heavy vehicles and intensify enforcement across the city.According to the traffic superintendent of police (SP) Sagar Kumar, the movement of heavy vehicles has been completely prohibited on the Chitkohra ROB from Wednesday till the repair period to ensure the safety of commuters and facilitate uninterrupted work. “Height-barrier gates are being installed near the bridge to prevent entry of trucks and other oversized vehicles,” he said.To manage traffic flow, heavy vehicles approaching from Patel Golambar will be diverted towards Harding Road. Meanwhile, vehicles coming from the Anisabad side have been advised to use the Chitkohra Golambar-Gardanibagh bridge number 15 route via Mithapur as an alternative.In view of the diversion, the traffic police has also launched a special enforcement drive across Patna’s urban areas. During peak hours, entry of commercial heavy vehicles, concrete mixers, and other large vehicles into the city has been completely restricted to prevent congestion on busy roads.This arrangement will be effective daily from 9am to 11am, 1pm to 3pm and 5pm to 8pm. According to the traffic police, this rule also applies to vehicles with passes. The aim is to reduce traffic congestion on the roads during peak hours and maintain smooth traffic flow, the officials said.As part of the drive, traffic personnel took action against vehicles violating the restrictions. Eight concrete mixer machines were found flouting the rules and action was initiated against them. Enforcement teams also penalised other heavy vehicles violating traffic regulations and issued challans to illegally parked e-rickshaws obstructing traffic movement.Traffic police will be keeping a special vigil on major routes like Bailey Road, Rajiv Nagar, Gandhi Maidan, Patna Junction, Kargil Chowk and Ashoka Rajpath, which experience daily traffic jams.The traffic police have appealed to transporters and drivers to avoid operating heavy vehicles during peak hours and strictly follow the diversion plan and traffic regulations. Officials said public cooperation is essential to ensure smooth traffic movement and prevent traffic jams.
