A Rs 713-crore Mumbai flyover inaugurated just a month ago was partially shut down on Wednesday for extensive repairs after numerous complaints of two-wheelers skidding and a fatal bike accident earlier in the week.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has started repairs work on the newly-constructed Ghatkopar Mankhurd Link Road, two days after a biker skidded and fell to his death on Monday.
The 2.9-km flyover, constructed by BMC was thrown open to light vehicles (up to 3 m) on August 1 three years after missing its deadline. It has helped decrease travel time for motorists heading towards Navi Mumbai from Ghatkopar.
The northbound stretch was shut down on Wednesday for repairs and will remain closed for the next four days until Sunday. The southbound stretch will be shut for a few days for repair after work on the northbound stretch is completed, said Kishore Shinde, senior inspector of Mankhurd traffic division.
The Mumbai Traffic Police on Wednesday night issued a notification banning movement of two-wheelers on the bridge from Thursday till October 1. The notification also stated that the speed limit for remaining vehicles will be 30 to 50 km per hour. “Motorists coming from eastern freeway and moving towards Vashi are advised to take the Sion-Panvel highway to avoid traffic congestion,” said Shinde. No U-turn will be allowed on the flyover from both directions till October 1.
The BMC’s bridges department will install CCTV cameras, additional rumblers and speed bumps at every 500 m on both sides of the bridge to control the speed of vehicles while also undertaking milling of the road surface to prevent vehicles from slipping on the mastic asphalt.
Rumble strips are used in the middle of a road, lane mergers or along the shoulder of the road next to a curb or divider. Whenever a vehicle passes over rumble strips, the passengers experience vibration and increased road noise. The idea is to warn the drivers in case the vehicle veers out of the lane or gets dangerously close to the curb.