26 April

By Tin Win Lay

The downtown Yangon has five main roads connecting the east with the west built under the British rule. If I start to say from the south, they are Strand Road, Merchant Road, Maha Bandoola Road, Anawrahta Road and Bogyoke Aung San Road.

Since the roads were built, they had got English names. The English names of the roads were later displaced with the names of renowned Myanmar heroes. It can be said the roads were up-to-date of their age. These days the roads can be said narrow ones.

The cars of different kinds are running on these main roads round the clock. Buses are providing transport service for the travelling people all day. The increasing number of commuters is going from one place to another from dawn till dusk. The downtown Yangon is the busiest community crammed full of people.

Over-bridges were built by spending a large sum of money in the times of successive governments for the safety of the commuters and the vehicles. As far as I can remember, a host of over-bridges were built after 1988 when Tatmadaw came into power. Despite the construction of the new over-bridges, they haven’t got escalators and roofs. In the time of U Thein Sein’s administration, some over-bridges had got escalators and roofs.

Let’s count a number of the over-bridges in the downtown. There is an over-bridge at the top of Lanthit Road (near Institute of Nursing) on Bogyoke Aung San Road. I hardly see those who step on and cross the over-bridge once in a month. In the night time, pairs of lovers and those who are drinking alcohol can be seen on the over-bridge. Last year the over-bridge was abolished.

A modern over-bridge

With new constructions of Bogyoke Aung San Market and Junction City Yangon, a modern over-bridge has appeared in front of two markets to connect the new one with the old.

The modern over-bridge has an escalator and a roof thanks to the company constructing the market. It has cement stairs, an escalator and a lift.

There is also an over-bridge in the shape of a rectangle in the center of town at the junction of Anawrahta and Sule Pagod Roads. The over-bridge was originally built crossing Sule Pagoda Road. It was later changed into the rectangular shape. It hasn’t got escalators and roofs yet.

Commuters still crossing the road

It is not easy for elders and those who are sick to step on the stairs of the bridge. The commuters still go and cross the roads before the traffic police under the bridge without stepping on the stairs of the bridge. Sometimes, cars and commuters mix. They may be named as the travellers in the face of danger.

In connection with those crossing the road before the traffic police, U Than Naing Oo, regional Hluttaw representative representing Pabedan Township, said “The responsibility of the traffic police who are on duty at Sule traffic light are to inspect whether the drivers drive their cars in conformity with traffic rules and tackle the traffic. If they arrest those crossing the road recklessly, they can’t do their main duties. We still need to install escalators at the over-bridges for the convenience of the commuters. Actually the traffic rules and road rules were enforced already but some commuters failed to observe them.”

Sometimes at the Sule traffic light many traffic police are deployed to guide those crossing the road recklessly to cross the road via the over-bridge. Despite the arrest, some commuters cross the road under the over- bridge and such kind of people are provided with traffic rules education even under the over-bridge, but in vain. The commuters cross the road under the bridge in the absence of the traffic police.

If we walk to Theingyi Market along Anawrahta Road, a rectangular shape over-bridge can be seen at the junction of Shwedagon Pagoda Road. It was built when Tatmadaw government started coming to power, but escalator and roof were not included.

Over-bridge update

With regard to the over-bridge, regional Hluttaw representative U Than Naing Oo said, “Shwetaung company that built new Bogyoke Market will donate the escalator and the roof to be set up at the over-bridge. The company will build the upper structure of the over-bridge together with the roof and the partitions and the plants will be grown to ensure that the commuters have pleasant sight. The main business is to upgrade the over-bridge, thereby reducing traffic congestion. Construction will begin at each side of the over-bridge to avoid traffic congestion.

Shwetaung company will take responsibility for upgrading costs of the over-bridge and it will be regarded as a donation.

The company informed the authorities on 22 February of upgrading the over-bridge and the construction has already begun. Vinyl together with the logo of YCDC is struck on security barriers.

The vinyl wrote “Theingyi Market rectangular over-bridge is being upgraded under the guidance of Yangon regional government and the close supervision by the Yangon City Development Committee at the junction of Shwedagon Pagoda Road and Anawrahta Road”.

When we go straight to Latha Road along Anawrahta Road, the rectangular shape over-bridge can be seen at the junction of Lanmadaw and it is also exclusive of the escalator and the roof as well as partitions. Moreover we can see an over-bridge in the form of rectangular shape at the junction of Maha Bandoola Road and Shwedagon Pagoda Road near Theingyi Market. It was an old over-bridge built in the time of Tatmadaw government after 1988 and it is also exclusive of the escalator, the roof and the partition.

There is also Mawtin over-bridge built crossing the Stand Road in Lanmadaw township that was built in the time of U Thein Sein’s administration. It includes the escalator and the roof.

When we keep on going along the Strand Road, an over-bridge can be seen near the conjunction of Pansodan and it has the escalator and the roof. Moreover, another over-bridge with the escalator and the roof can be spotted at the traffic light of Botahtaung Pagoda Road and the Strand Road and it is built in the time of the current NLD dominant government, said regional Hluttaw representative U Than Naing Oo.

Priority given to over-bridges without escalator and the roof

The regional Hluttaw chairman, the joint-secretary of the YCDC and the officials of the Roads and Bridges Department held a meeting in March last year and then they went on an inspection tour to the over-bridges existing in the downtown Yangon.

The escalators and the roofs were not installed at the over-bridge during their inspection. Then they made decision to upgrade the over-bridge phase by phase along with the installation of the escalators, the roofs and the partitions.

The YCDC has the prioritized proposal to upgrade the over-bridge at the junction of Anawrahta Road and

Sule Pagoda Road and the proposal will have to be handled in accord with budget procedures.

One-year project

The over-bridge at the junction of Anawrahta Road and Sule Pagoda Road near Theingyi Market has already begun upgrading measures. It is using the budget not from the government, but from Shawtaung company.

The company will have to resume the work for the phase 2 of the project and it is the one-year project.

Upgrading project includes escalator, roof and partitions

During his explanation, regional Hluttaw representative U Than Naing Oo said “All the over-bridges approved by the Hluttaw include the escalator, the roof and the partition in the time of the current civilian government.

The over-bridges built by the current government are situated in Mahamyaing, Hsinmaleik, Botahtaung, and Dawbon.

These over-bridges had to be implemented by submitting the proposal urging the Hluttaw. According to our plans, new over-bridges to be built in the future will have the escalator, the roof and the partition.”

The author left a message, saying he would like the travelling people to follow the traffic rules by crossing the road stepping on the over-bridge so that they would be certainly secure. Translated by Htut Htut (Twantay)