Pune: The civic body’s road spruce up initiative for next year’s mega cycling event in the city is currently giving commuters a bumpy ride experience.Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has started road milling and resurfacing work on various roads in the run-up to the cycling event — Pune Grand Tour — scheduled in January 2026. The uneven surface and dug-up roads are posing risks to commuters, particularly two-wheeler riders. The latter face the risk of skidding and losing balance.Commuters want the administration to restore the dug up roads within two days. Besides, the riders want the PMC’s road department to install warning boards about bumpy rides.The PMC will resurface about 75km of road stretches. The work has started near the Sarasbaug area, on a road towards Mitra Mandal Chowk. Similar works have been planned on Law College Road, Mukundnagar and Baner Road in the initial phase. The administration on Saturday issued an advisory for riders to remain alert while driving on the stretches where the work was under way.Kunal Patil recently travelled on a stretch of Sinhagad Road along Sarasbaug. He said he was unable to balance the bike because of the rough surface. “The administration should restore such roads at the earliest,” Patil said.Aniruddha Pavaskar, the head of PMC’s road department, said the maximum road resurfacing would be done at night to avoid hardships to commuters. Most roads would be restored in two days, but more time could be required at some locations because of other works such as levelling of drainage lids and footpaths, he said.Commuters were not convinced about the PMC’s two-day deadline to finish the work. Riders also raised apprehensions about the quality of work and pressed for third-party inspection of stretches after redo. Shivaji Road resident Vilas Shirsat said, “It is good that the PMC has taken up milling and resurfacing of key roads. The administration should maintain adequate standards and ensure the resurfaced roads do not develop potholes.”The PMC has also taken up levelling of drainage chambers and resetting or removal of speed breakers based on local requirements. An official from the road department said drainage chambers on Prabhat Road were undergoing reconstruction. Similar work has been planned for Karve Road and other stretches.
