Rain wreaks havoc on Mumbai’s roads

Vehicles move slowly between Chene village and Kasheli Pada on an uneven stretch of Ghodbunder Road in Thane. Pic/Satej Shinde

As heavy rain continues to lash the city, Thane and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), road conditions are deteriorating, causing significant inconvenience to daily commuters. The increasing number of potholes and uneven road surfaces have raised major concerns.

Bandra East

Daily commuters and motorists in Bandra East are experiencing significant inconvenience due to large potholes on the stretch between the suburban collector office to Guru Nanak Hospital. These potholes, present at the two locations, pose a threat to two-wheeler riders. An auto driver from Bandra East said, "Most roads have potholes, especially internal roads and those where infrastructure work is ongoing. These potholes are causing back pain for commuters."

A biker loses balance in the middle of heavy rain after being hit by a car at a signal at Pedder Road. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Fort, south Mumbai

Sanjay Gurav, a resident of Fort, said, "A number of potholes on DN Road is causing traffic congestion and posing hazards for motorists. This major road connects Fort to Colaba. The ongoing Metro railway work has already slowed traffic, and these potholes are adding to the congestion. These potholes are just a five to 10-minute walk from the civic headquarters.

Expressways

During a visit to the Western Express Highway, we noticed that the majority of the potholes on the stretch from Bandra to Goregaon were fixed. Similarly, the situation on Eastern Express Highway is also good as the majority of the potholes and uneven road surface has been levelled.

Potholes on DN Road, Fort. Pic/Ashish Raje

Vinayak Naik, a resident of the Vikhroli East, said, "There are hardly any potholes on the Eastern Express Highway, as most of them have been repaired. However, the internal roads of Vikhroli and Ghatkopar are damaged, with some bad patches. These potholes can cause back injuries to bikers and sometimes damage vehicles.

What BMC has to say?

BMC officials have blamed the continuous rain for the potholes. "We are repairing the potholes mainly at night when the traffic is less than usual," said a BMC official.

A scooter rider avoids huge craters outside Dadar station, on Monday. Pic/Shadab Khan

Khar West

The 7th road in Khar is an arterial route connecting Khar station from SV Road to Linking Road. Thousands of commuters and motorists use this road daily, but the uneven surface and potholes cause significant inconvenience and pose a threat to two-wheeler riders.

Ghodbunder Road, Thane

On a daily basis thousands of vehicles use the all-important Ghodbunder Road, which connects Thane with Dahisar and the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway. Motorists using this road on a daily basis have been complaining about potholes and uneven road patches which leads to motorists applying emergency brakes.

Thane-based activist Sneha tweeted, "@MMRDAOfficial At Ghodbunder various patches like Patlipada Naka, Waghbil Naka, Kasarvadavli Naka has such potholes which are deadly for vehicles owners especially two wheelers, please help. #thane #mumbai."