29 July,2014 06:51 AM IST | | Ranjeet Jadhav
MSRDC is waiting for at least a week’s dry spell in order to repair the southbound stretch of the pockmarked flyover; even a patch that was repaired last week developed potholes again
This bridge has been a horrifying experience for motorists ever since it developed cracks and went under repairs in May. Immediately after a month of repairs, the first spells had cut through the tar layer and caused potholes.
This paper has continuously reported on the repeated failures of MSRDC to fix the potholes which has been the cause for traffic jams stretching up to 2 km between this flyover and Malad-Kandivli.
MSRDC had blamed the traffic police for not allowing them more time to repair the bridge, while the latter contended a month was time enough.
Heavy showers on the weekend washed away the stone crush layer laid by MSRDC for repairing the potholes, thereby exposing two-wheelers to the risk of skidding. Pic/Kaushik Thanekar
In the bargain, it is commuters who bear the brunt. MSRDC managed to fix a 100-metre stretch of the southbound carriageway by laying stone crush and tar on the road. But due to heavy rains, further work had to be stopped.
Over the weekend, heavy showers damaged whatever repair work had been accomplished. With stone crush powder spread all over the bridge, the stretch has become even more risky for two-wheelers, which may skid over the gravel. Besides this, the traffic jams also pose a risk to emergency vehicles like ambulances.
An MSRDC engineer said, "Last week, we repaired half of the southbound stretch of the flyover when there was no rainfall. This provided some relief to the motorists. Once we get a dry spell of about a week, we will repair the remainder of the stretch." B N Ohol, executive engineer for MSRDC, was unavailable for comment.
