The surface of the newly inaugurated ROB-flyover at Goregaon is uneven and bumpy at several spots; BMC sources say a rushed opening of the bridge is to blame for the issue
While the 2.3-km long and Rs 235 crore railway over bridge (ROB) and flyover at Goregaon was opened for the public on Saturday evening, in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, the surface of the ROB is uneven at few places, giving motorists, especially two-wheeler riders, a bumpy experience.
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Motorists say the BMC should have resurfaced the road properly, as it is uneven at a few places and there are chances of potholes coming up in the area during monsoon. Pics/Nimesh Dave
Sources from BMC said both the political parties wished to open the bridge at the earliest and so the work of the resurfacing the eastbound stretch passing over WEH was not done before the inauguration. “Both the political parities wanted to open the bridge at the earliest and hence, we were not able to do the resurfacing work on the east-bound stretch passing over WEH,” said a BMC official.
Along with Fadnavis and Thackeray, Mayor Snehal Ambekar, MLA Vidya Thakur, Guardian Minister of Mumbai Subhash Desai, MP Gajanan Kirtikar and other senior leaders of Shiv Sena and BJP were present at the inauguration.
BMC says
SO Kori, chief engineer (Bridges), BMC said, “The east-bound arm of the ROB that lands on the south-bound lane of the service road of WEH was ready since more than two years. We had to remove 358 encroachments to construct this bridge. It was a challenging task that we have successfully completed. I will immediately look into the matter and the contractor will be asked to repair the uneven portion on the bridge, if there is any.”
BJP MLA Vidya Thakur said, “It is easy for people to take political mileage by saying that this bridge has been opened because of their follow-ups, but the residents in my constituency know that during election itself, I had promised to ensure that the bridge is opened at the earliest. I have fulfilled my promise, and this could have not been possible with the support of BMC officials who worked day and night.
While motorists using the new flyover have praised the authorities for opening it since it has solved the commuting problem between east and west, but at the same time, they have alleged that the BMC should have resurfaced the road properly, as it is uneven at a few places and there are chances of potholes coming up in the area during monsoon. The tar surface from the road portion might also come off.
Possibility of potholes
Prathamesh Kawade a two-wheeler rider said, “The eastbound arm of the flyover that passes over the Western Express Highway (WEH) does not have the kind of smooth surface, we usually see in a new flyover. At a few places, patch work done prior to opening, which will become a problem in the monsoon as the road surface will not only develop potholes, but motorists will have to drive through uneven surfaces.”
Half of the portion of the ROB-flyover was ready for over 18 months, but was not opened as the work on the part that passes over the railway line and the west was pending.
Darshan D, who frequently travels between Andheri and Aarey Milk Colony said, “The BMC had enough time to do the resurfacing of the road, which was ready since over a year, but they didn’t, which itself proves that how serious they were. The westbound stretch is in a good condition, but patchwork has been done at two-three places on the eastbound stretch. I feel the flyover was opened in a hurry to gain [political] mileage.”
At one of the places on the east-bound stretch, near the exit lamp over the highway, it was observed that there were small mud and tar particles, which had not been cleaned, and the two-wheeler riders alleged that authorities should have cleaned the flyover before opening.
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