Traffic on both sides of N S Patkar Road, which was shut since a landslide struck Malabar Hill last monsoon, finally resumed on Thursday after work to fix the extensive damage was finished. On August 5, a retaining wall collapsed and a portion of the road caved in, damaging the water pipelines. After the road caved in, traffic on B G Kher road was also closed for safety reasons.

“The BMC appointed an expert committee in consultation with the Indian Institute of Technology Mumbai. The construction work started on January 1 and was completed within six months,” said a civic official. The new retaining  wall has a height of 5 metres and a length of 160 metres. It is 900 mm thick on the lower side and 300 mm on the upper side so that it can take the pressure of the slope. The 550-metre-long road adjoining this wall has been concretised. The width of the road was increased to 27 metres from 24 metres. Rainwater drains 550 metres long, with 1,200 mm diameter, have been laid under this road.