30 July,2010 09:36 AM IST | | Salil Urunkar
A report by the Central Road Research Institute has identified a dozen unsafe spots on the Pune-Mumbai expressway. however, lack of funds meansu00a0 no repairs this monsoon
"It's not safe, makes me feel edgy," says Raviwar Peth resident Vishal Dahiwal about the Pune-Mumbai expressway.
Ask him and he isn't able to put a finger and pinpoint the reason. "Look, I don't know why, but somehow I feel the expressway is a danger zone," says the 29-year-old electronics engineer who often hits the route on his frequent visits to Mumbai.
Dahiwal's gut feeling has been corroborated by the Central Road Research Institute. The New Delhi-based body carries out research and development projects on various aspects relating to roads.
A report compiled by the research institute in 2005 had stated that the Pune-Mumbai expressway is unsafe. At that time, it had identified 12 spots on the expressway as 'dangerous'. These spots continue to pose a hazard to motorists even today.
And it will take a couple of years to take action to make these spots less dangerous.
Happens every year
It's an annual feature, especially during rains, to find lanes on the expressway closed due to landslides and accidents. This, in turn, results in motorists having to bear the brunt of traffic jams and obstructions near the Borghat section of the expressway.
Earlier this week, some safety nets had been raised and a few lanes closed for traffic at certain spots on the expressway, a regular user of the expressway told MiD DAY.
Near Lonavla, before the ghat section begins, lanes on the left side were closed for traffic and vehicles diverted to the right lane, thus resulting in slowing-down of traffic.
Adding to motorists' woes is the paucity of funds to carry out repair work, said sources.
A senior official of Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation, who did not wish to be named, said, "The Central Road Research Institute authorities pay an annual visit to the expressway to inspect and identify spots prone to landslides and other eventualities. Of the 12 dangerous spots identified by the research institute, only 30 per cent of required repair work has been carried out during the last five years. This has happened due to insufficient funds."
New danger spots
The official said that unpredictable rainfall results in creation of new dangerous spots on the expressway every year. "But we're taking safety measures like closing some lanes for traffic, putting up iron safety nets among others," the official said.
A decade ago, when the expressway was inaugurated, it was estimated that 80 per cent of the traffic plying on the old Pune-Mumbai highway would use the expressway, said the official. "But, after the highway was repaired, the expressway incurred losses. Few motorists use it because of toll charged. As a result, MSRDC was handed over the repair work to be carried out on the expressway with scarce funds available."
"Amrutanjan Point and Dukes Retreat Point have been repaired on a priority basis, while work has begun at the Adoshi tunnel spot," the official said. "It may be completed by next year. For the other eight spots, it will take longer."
MSRDC executive engineer VD Sardeshmukh refused to comment on the issue.
