Mumbai: The Mumbai Traffic Police stopped vehicular traffic on the newly constructed Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link flyover on Tuesday morning. The decision was made after multiple complaints of bikes skidding on the bridge during rains, questioning the quality of the construction. Since the flyover was opened, there have been several bike-skidding accidents on the northbound side (towards Mankhurd Mandala), and one person died after his bike skidded on it on Monday.
‘Today (Tuesday) morning there were multiple incidents of bikes slipping on the bridge due to rain so as a temporary precautionary measure the vehicular movement on the bridge has been stopped. The bridge will be open for vehicular movement after it stops raining,’ SG Agawane, senior inspector of Deonar police station, said. ‘On Monday afternoon, a fatal accident took place on that stretch. The biker slipped on the bridge and the pillion rider fell off the bike and died. This is the first fatal accident reported at my police station but there have been several instances of bikes slipping on the bridge,’ said Agawane.
Officials from the traffic police said they have written multiple letters to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) requesting precautionary measures like traffic signboards, CCTV cameras, speedometers, rumbles, and so on.
The 2.9-km flyover, constructed at a cost of Rs 713 crore by the BMC, was opened to the public on August 1, three years after its completion date was missed. The flyover has shortened travel time for motorists heading towards Navi Mumbai from Ghatkopar, as the link road is congested on the entire stretch, especially at Baiganwadi Junction in Shivaji Nagar.
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Mumbai police and traffic cops report that every time it rains, motorists slip on the bridge. ‘These incidents are occurring on a 100 metre stretch on the northbound side of the bridge above Mankhurd T junction and Benganwadi junction. Due to rains, some oil type chemical is coming out of the road making it slippery,’ said a Mumbai Police official.
Officials from the bridges department, however, rejected the assertion that the surface of the flyover is poorly constructed and there is oil leakage. ‘The construction quality is not shoddy. The surface of the flyover is very smooth and in many cases, bikers or four-wheelers go at high speeds despite the speed limit of 50kmph. We have decided to increase the roughness of the surface of the flyover. Also, CCTV along with speedometers will be installed to keep a check on overspeeding by vehicles along with few other safety measures,’ said Satish Thosar, chief engineer of the bridges department. He said the work would be completed during the night in order to prevent traffic disruptions.
According to activist Mushtaq Ansari, several accidents have occurred on the flyover because of the poor quality of the surface. ‘A-34-year old man who was a resident of Shivaji Nagar died after his bike skidded on the flyover. He was hit in the head and declared dead at the local hospital. Another bike accident took place around 20 days ago where the biker was injured severely.’
Mumbai traffic police officials stated, ‘the Mumbai police recently were part of a meeting with the BMC and discussed possible solutions to prevent future accidents. We have also suggested putting up speed breakers at a distance of 300 metres. They have put some rumblers but more is needed.’ ‘We have also requested to have a traffic or police chowky on the bridge where one or two cops can be stationed. There are also instances where local slum dwellers enter the bridge for strolling and even thieves come to steal small metal parts so some police presence could help,’ added the police official.
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