Navi Mumbai bound lane of Mumbra bypass might soon be closed for traffic

The authorities are currently in discussion to impose restrictions on the lane shortly, officials said.

Barely two weeks after restrictions on the Thane-bound lane of the Mumbra Bypass Road were lifted following repairs, potholes have now started appearing on the opposite lane of the busy road. The authorities are currently in discussion to impose similar restrictions on this lane shortly, officials said.

Image for representation. (Ravindra Joshi/HT PHOTO)

According to the Thane traffic police, the Public Works Department (PWD) had communicated to them earlier this month that repair work will need to be started as soon as possible on the Retibunder Bridge stretch of the road.

“The PWD has informed us that several potholes have formed on the Navi Mumbai bound lane of the bridge, and need to be repaired before they get any bigger. However, the problem is that pothole repair work is already underway in Kharegaon currently which is causing major traffic jams daily. If, on top of this, we impose restrictions on the Mumbra Bypass road, the traffic problems will multiply,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Balasaheb Patil, Thane Police said.

Patil added that the situation at Kharegaon is worse than the current condition of the Mumbra Bypass Road as new potholes are practically appearing as fast as the older ones are being repaired. Combined with the ongoing monsoons, this has become a nightmare for the traffic police.

When contacted, S Totawar, executive engineer, PWD, confirmed the development and said, “We are in talks with the Thane traffic police regarding the imposition of restrictions on the Navi Mumbai bound lane of the Retibandar bridge so that potholes can be repaired quickly. The specifics of this process are still under discussion.”

On July 29 this year, a five-foot deep crater had formed on the Thane bound lane of the crucial road, with the road under the bridge being visible through the crater. The PWD had started repair work on the crater the same day and movement of heavy vehicles was banned on the lane for the duration of the work. These restrictions stayed in place for several days after the repair work was complete, to allow the newly poured concrete to be set properly. The movement of heavy vehicles was only restarted on the lane on August 16.