Mumbai: PWD repairs one crack on flyover, ignores another

Seems like Public Works Department (PWD) does not believe in finishing a job from stem to stern and an example of this can be seen at the Thakur Complex flyover in Borivli. PWD was already there, repairing the south-bound arm when the traffic police informed them of another deadly crack on the north-bound arm. However, the agency conveniently ignored the warning and left after completing repairs on just one side.

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The foot-long crack in the expansion joint of Thakur Complex flyover poses a great danger to motorists. Pics/Datta Kumbhar

On both sides, the problem was the same - cracks in the expansion joint running from one end of the flyover to another. On January 30, mid-day had reported that the bridge was going to be shut for two weeks so the authorities could repair the dangerous gap on the south-bound arm. However, it was in the last week of June that PWD workers stopped traffic on the flyover for four days and repaired the south-bound arm. This caused traffic jams and so the department decided to not repair the northern arm during the monsoon.

"Around 10 days back, when the repairs on the south-bound arm of the bridge were underway, we informed them about the five-inch-wide and one-foot-long crack on the north-bound arm. But they repaired only the south one and ignored our request to repair the other," a traffic police official said.

The south-bound arm of the flyover was repaired in the last week of June. Pic/Nimesh Dave

Despite the cops asking the PWD and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development (MMRDA) to at least temporarily repair the crack, the agencies have decided to keep mum. Shrikrishna Katakdhond, senior police inspector (Traffic) from Dahisar, said, "I have repeatedly asked the PWD, MMRDA and the engineer of the contractor J-Kumar Infrastructure, to immediately install a metal sheet to cover the gap and prevent accidents."

PWD says
But after mid-day contacted PWD, they said they would temporarily repair the crack with a metal sheet. Senior PWD Engineer SS Deshmukh said, "The flyover was constructed by Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) and was funded by MMRDA. J Ku mar Infrastructure constructed it. Since it is in defect liability period, it is the contractor's job to fix it. We will immediately ask the concerned authorities to install the metal plate. We had not repaired it due to monsoon as traffic jams during this time would have really troubled commuters."