Mahim’s newly concretised roads develop cracks within days

There are at least four such roads that developed cracks when half the road was open while the other half was being concretised. The cracks were filled with some material, but such shoddy jobs need to be monitored and brought to the notice of the BMC

Mumbai: While the BMC has announced its intention of concretising all roads in Mumbai, what citizens are questioning is the quality of the concretisation.

Within a few months, cracks developed on the road, which were filled with chemicals. Similarly, Dharmaveer Sambhaji Maharaj Road in Mahim developed cracks within 10 days of its opening. Road concretisation may help the city become pothole-free but the focus should be on the quality of the roads instead of the quantity. (Satish Bate/HT PHOTO)

A popular twitter page called @mumbaimatterz has been tweeting for the past six months about newly built concrete roads in Mahim West developing cracks. At least four roads that are being concretised have developed cracks even before the project is fully completed. The roads department, which is implementing the project in phases, started the construction of these roads in December 2021 and has been completing the concretisation in phases.

In an online interview with HT, the spokesperson for the page @mumbaimatterz said, “While the BMC is talking about roads lasting for 30 years, here in Mahim we have Bhandar Lane that was opened for traffic before the monsoon of 2022. Within a few months, cracks developed on the road, which were filled with chemicals. Similarly, Dharmaveer Sambhaji Maharaj Road in Mahim developed cracks within 10 days of its opening. Road concretisation may help the city become pothole-free but the focus should be on the quality of the roads instead of the quantity.”

Urich Kamath, member of civic welfare forum Mumbai North-Central District Forum, has also raised this issue in the past. “The MMC Cross Road in Mahim has developed cracks even before the project is completed,” he said. “There are at least four such roads that developed cracks when half the road was open while the other half was being concretised. The cracks were filled with some material, but such shoddy jobs need to be monitored and brought to the notice of the BMC.” The four roads are Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Marg, Bhandar Road, Dharmaveer Sambhaji Maharaj Road and MMC Cross Road, all located in Mahim West.

Dr Sewa Ram, professor and head of the department of transport planning in the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, said, “The cracks require scientific examination and investigation. If the sub-base (a layer below the top concrete layer) does not have enough strength due to its poor quality, structural cracks can develop.”

Dr Sewa Ram added that sometimes the cracks were superficial in nature due to weather changes. “But the quality of concrete used in making the road also needs to be examined,” he said. “If the concrete used has a high coefficient of thermal expansion, then the roads will develop cracks and the cracks may run through the whole patch if not corrected. If the cracks are structural in nature, the whole slab/patch will have to be re-concretised.”