Barely hours after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the newly rebuilt Sindoor Bridge — formerly known as Carnac Bridge — in South Mumbai on Thursday morning, vehicles began plying on its uneven, visibly worn surface.

mid-day’s visit to the 342-metre-long structure revealed patchy surfacing and tyre marks, prompting concerns about construction quality just minutes into its public debut. Abhijit Bangar, additional municipal commissioner in charge of BMC’s bridges department, downplayed the concerns, clarifying that what appeared to be potholes were not actual damage but a result of the mastic asphalt surface setting in.

Abhijit Bangar, additional municipal commissioner in charge of the bridges department, told mid-day on Thursday evening, “This is not a pothole. Mastic asphalt has been used to surface the road, which is a high-quality material. There are two ways to lay mastic — manually or using paver machines. When pavers are used, the finish is much smoother. As traffic increases over time, the surface will settle and even out.”