Several city roads have been dug up to resume road improvement work halted during the monsoon season
Mumbaikars must now brace for 'work in progress' signs on roads again. Several city roads have been dug up to resume road improvement work halted during the monsoon season. These include concretisation, asphalting, repairs of footpaths, side strips (smaller footpaths), lighting, painting of dividers etc.
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Every year, the BMC undertakes road works after monsoon to strengthen existing roads or to construct new ones. Its annual budget for this is around Rs 2,000 crore. This year, too, several projects were taken up in pre-monsoon contracts to ensure a pothole-free monsoon.
But BMC claims were washed away in heavy showers and potholes emerged once again. After allegations of corruption in road contracts by the mayor and other bigwigs, Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta ordered an enquiry into such contracts and a committee of two senior civic officials is now probing the matter.
Meanwhile, media reports surfaced that several contractors had shunned work due to the probe. But it seems work has started in several parts of the city now. “Most of the post-monsoon works have resumed, if not all. We want to complete them within the stipulated time,” said newly-appointed chief engineer of Roads department, M S Pawar.
Island City
In the island city, work has started on Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Road, on G D Ambekar road and on Marine Drive.
The patch between Birla Krida Sankul and Tambe chowk is being reconstructed at Marine Drive
On Marine Drive, the patch between Birla Krida Sankul and Tambe chowk is being reconstructed while other patches are being resurfaced, On the other hand, the patch between Sion circle and Byculla station is being redone in three spots — opposite Sion hospital, Hindmata and Gandhi market.
The road is being resurfaced at a cost of Rs 113 crore. The total length is 8.6 km which will be concretised in patches. Only damaged concrete patches will be redone. On G D Ambekar Road, 1.6 km will be redone completely with concrete.
Suburbs
In the western suburbs, the service road of Western Express Highway opposite Jogeshwari Trauma care centre is being reconstructed.
A patch opposite Sion hospital is also being redone. Pics/Bipin Kokate
It was concretised before monsoon and now other improvement works are underway. Also, Mohan Gokhale Road behind Oberoi Mall in Goregaon is being redone. The side strips and footpaths of S V Road and New Link Road in the western suburbs are being redone.
Mohan Gokhale Road next to Oberoi mall is also being redone
In the eastern suburbs, the road from Jolly Gymkhana to Vidyavihar station is being reconstructed while the side strips of MG Road are being re-done. Work has also started in Chembur’s R C Marg and Ghatkopar’s Fire brigade Road.
Work on at the service road of Western Express Highway opposite Jogeshwari Trauma care centre. Pics/Nimesh Dave