MMRDA starts restoring pothole-riddled stretch of SCLR

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is restoring a stretch of the Santacruz Chembur Link Road (SCLR) after the first rains caused potholes to appear. The affected part of the road was used as a working yard during construction, leading to substandard materials being used. The cost of repair will be borne by the contractor responsible for the newly opened flyover. The SCLR is an elevated corridor designed to reduce travel time between Bandra Kurla Complex and the Western Express Highway.

Mumbai: After the first rains led to potholes on a 150-180m stretch of Santacruz Chembur Link Road (SCLR), the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has started restoring the affected part of the road, which was opened to public this February.

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According to the MMRDA officials, at the time of construction, this stretch of the road was used as a working yard and heavy materials such as steel were stored here.

The MMRDA officials said the contractor is entrusted with the responsibility for the repair work on the newly opened flyover of SCLR Extension Phase 1, and hence the cost of repair will be borne by the contractor.

“We are working diligently to rectify the affected stretch at the earliest. Our priority is to mitigate any potential traffic issues and ensure a smoother commute for everyone,” said a senior official of the MMRDA.

“Our team has identified the primary reason for the damage which is that this particular area was being used as a working yard and a storage space for materials like steel. The site office was set up to handle various activities,” said a senior MMRDA official.

The 3.8-km extension bridge, which starts near Kapadia Junction and ends on the Western Express Highway (WEH) near Vakola junction, was opened to the public on February 10 by prime minister Narendra Modi. The five-kilometre-long SCLR is an elevated corridor meant to cut travel time between Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and the WEH.

Road engineering experts are of the view that the quality of bitumen must not have been tested and substandard materials might have been used, which could be the reason for craters to appear on the road surface after the first rains.

The bridge that comes under the SCLR extension Phase 1 covers Vakola junction, University junction, BKC junction, MTNL junction and BKC-LBS flyover.