On September four the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) decided to construct separate pillars for the metro and the high-capacity mass transit route (HCMTR) at Dandekar bridge chowk, casting doubt on the proposed metro extension to Khadakwasla. The decision came despite the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation (Maha-Metro) saying both projects cannot be accommodated at the junction without a double-decker. Maha-Metro had floated a tender for the Dandekar bridge–Khadakwasla elevated corridor and extended the schedule. PMC chief engineer (projects) Dinkar Gojare said the earlier double-decker flyover proposal is being reconsidered because the HCMTR is now planned to pass over the junction. He indicated that if the elevated HCMTR corridor is constructed above, a separate flyover below may not be necessary. Maha-Metro said it has not received formal communication from the PMC and that the Dandekar bridge issue was not discussed at a recent coordination meeting where double-decker proposals at Karve statue and Ambedkar chowk were considered. Maha-Metro director (works) Atul Gadgil said the HCMTR had not been conveyed when the tender was floated and became a priority in the preceding two months, and that final decisions cannot be taken without a firm PMC commitment to bear the financial responsibility for the proposed flyovers. The PMC, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) and Maha-Metro are coordinating to integrate the 43.6 km HCMTR with the city metro network, which intersects or runs parallel to corridors such as Dandekar bridge–Khadakwasla and Nal Stop–Manikbaug. Officials said future metro extensions on Karve road, Sinhagad road, Lullanagar, Solapur road and Ahmednagar road must be considered while finalising the alignment. The project has been fast-tracked after a direction from the chief minister to target completion by 2028, and the PMC said it has possession of nearly 50 per cent of the land with the state expected to transfer its share without acquisition costs to avoid demolition, redesign and additional expenditure.