NH48 repair mess: Dark flyovers, uneven roads put motorists at risk

Travelling on the National Highway 48 MumbaiAhmedabad highway stretch from Varsova bridge to Manor has become a nightmare for motorists especially after sunset During middayrsquos visit to the highway we found that streetlights on the majority of bridges were not operational Additionally several newly built whitetopped road sections were uneven with visible tyre marks left by vehicles making the surface hazardous We also observed that whitetopping work on the bridges has raised the height of the road surface effectively reducing the height of the safety walls and thereby increasing the risk of accidentsLights not workingOn Tuesday this newspaperrsquos reporter and photojournalist travelled along the MumbaiAhmedabad highway NH 48 between Dahisar Toll Plaza and Manor Of the 18 bridges on this stretch only twomdashDehakale Bridge and Shirsad Bridgemdashhad functioning streetlights while the rest were in complete darknessVarai flyover joins the list of 16 bridges plunged in darkness on NH 48Motorist Hiren Patel a frequent traveller to Gujarat said ldquoAre the authorities waiting for a major accident to happen on the MumbaiAhmedabad highway between Dahisar and Manor More than 95 per cent of the flyovers have nonfunctional streetlights making nighttime driving extremely dangerous I personally feel there should be more reflectors and signage installed before flyovers to prevent confusion for those who wish to take the road belowrdquoWhen will the work be completedOngoing roadwork near Durves adds to motoristsrsquo woesSumit Kumar NHAIrsquos manager for the Thane region told this newspaper that the deadline for completing the work is April 30 and the project is progressing at a fast pace ldquoOf the total 112 km of whitetopping work approved on the MumbaiAhmedabad highway between Dahisar and Charoti 98 km have already been completed The remaining work will be finished before the deadlinerdquo Kumar saidNonfunctional streetlightsldquoIt is true that many streetlights are not working This is due to underground cables that were damaged by various agencies working along the MumbaiAhmedabad highway between Dahisar and Manor An estimate for repairing and laying new cables has been sent to NHAI for approvalrdquo said KumarConcerns over extra weightFunctional streetlights on Virar Phata flyoverWhen asked whether the flyovers could withstand the additional load from the whitetopping and cement concrete layers the NHAI official said ldquoWith assistance from IITBombay we are conducting load tests on flyovers where whitetopping work has been done We have only applied whitetopping to small flyovers and boxtype structures at key junctions avoiding major bridges over rivers and long flyovers such as the Talasari flyover and Mahalaxmi Temple flyover Additionally metal panels similar to those on the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link MTHL will be installed on flyover safety walls to enhance safety and prevent accidentsrdquoSafety concernsWorkers use epoxy to repair tyre marks on the concrete road of NH 48During our visit to the stretch between Sasunavghar flyover and Manor we noticed that whitetopping work had been carried out on most flyovers The new cement concrete road surface has added additional weight to the flyovers and raised the road level but at the same time it has effectively reduced the height of the safety walls on either side making it dangerous for two three and fourwheelersLow safety walls on Varai flyover after whitetopping work raise concerns PicsAnurag AhireUneven road surfaceThe uneven road surface on Varai flyover along NH 48 posing risks for motoristsWhile travelling between Varsova and Manor we observed several uneven highway stretches with cracks that had been filled Many areas bore tyre marks suggesting that vehicles were driven over the freshly laid whitetopped road This poses a serious risk for twowheelers increasing the chances of skidding and serious injury During our journey we saw road contractors using an epoxy repair technique to fix the uneven surface filling tyre marks with a material mixture and levelling the areaFresh cracks appear on the newly whitetopped highway stretchBike rider Pushpak Tanavade said ldquoAfter the whitetopping work was completed some motorists drove over the freshly laid road leaving deep tyre marks These marks pose a serious risk for twowheelers Itrsquos good to see repairs being carried out but another critical issue is the reduced height of safety walls on flyovers Since the whitetopping has raised the road level the existing safety walls are now shorter increasing the risk of bikers falling off in case of an accidentrdquo