Wide crack on Lalbaug flyover sends Mumbai cops, locals into tizzy

Only light vehicles were being allowed on the flyover this morning; (inset) the crack ran across the flyover. Pics/Satej Shinde, Bipin Kokate

The Lalbaug flyover was shut around 10.30 pm on Wednesday after a wide crack was spotted over pillar 221. Two beams, soldered with rubber and cement, had detached, revealing broken iron joints. Many vehicles passed over the precarious stretch before a commuter alerted the police.

After inspecting the damage, the Kalachowky and Byculla police closed the 2.45-km flyover. Repairs by the BMC will take a day or two.

After the police control room was alerted, two beat marshals from the Byculla police station were sent to assess the spot. One of these constables said he was asked around 8.45 pm to look into a complaint of an iron sheet falling off the flyover. "We looked below the entire stretch of the flyover for this sheet, but couldn't find anything. We then called up the commuter who had alerted the police to find the exact spot. After a few more rounds of the flyover, we spotted the gap and the loosened joints. The joints kept popping out more as vehicles passed over them. It was almost 10.15 pm by then."

The flyover was immediately shut and the BMC sounded out. The bridge was built by the MMRDA, but the BMC handles its maintenance.

The constable said although there was no immediate danger to four-wheelers, bikers could have had a fatal accident at the spot.

The police guarded the flyover at entry/exit points near the Parel workshop as well as near Ranibaug. BMC officials assessed the damage and said repairs will be taken up today.

The traffic police immediately diverted traffic to P D'Mello Road and Peddar Road (for north-bound motorists), Five Gardens and Dadar TT (for those heading south), as well as the Eastern Freeway. They sent out tweets about the diversions and even sent SMS alerts to many motorists.

This morning, the north-bound arm was kept shut, while small cars and bikes were being allowed on the south-bound carriageway.

With inputs from Vijay Kumar Yadav and Laxman Singh