PMC to fix roads, remove speed breakers ahead of Pune Grand Tour 2027; city route grows to 134 km

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is preparing a large network of roads for the Pune Grand Tour 2027. The international cycling event begins on January 26. Before it starts, road surfaces will be improved, obstacles along the route removed and pending utility work completed.

The six-stage race will run until January 31 and cover a total of 1,088 km in Pune district. The route inside the city is now 134 km, against 75 km last time. Because the route has grown, the civic body has had to extend its road plan to many more stretches.

As part of the preparations, the PMC will temporarily remove speed breakers on the race route and rebuild them after the event ends. The rebuilt speed breakers will follow the standards of the Indian Roads Congress (IRC). Raised strips on the road, commonly called rumblers, can interfere with the speed of cyclists. These will also be either removed or levelled.

On road repairs and coordination with utility agencies, the civic body has selected 84 km of the newly added part of the route for resurfacing. Roads dug up to lay utilities will be repaired. Broken or uneven footpaths will also be fixed.

Several agencies are currently working on water pipelines, drainage networks, underground power cables, gas connections, CCTV systems and optical fibre lines. PMC road officials are speaking to these agencies so that there are no delays and the work is finished before the race.

Special attention is being given to utility chambers and manholes. These must be brought level with the surrounding road. Uneven covers and poorly filled excavations could endanger cyclists riding at high speed.

The temporary removal of speed breakers is part of preparing a route built for competitive cycling. The civic body wants to put them back after the event, because the reconstruction will be done according to prescribed road standards.

The route extends beyond the city limits covered last time, so the PMC faces the challenge of preparing more roads and coordinating many infrastructure works. The aim of the improvements is to make the identified stretches fit for the race. Race-day obstructions will be removed first, and restoration work will follow once the event ends.