Year-old Kasarvadavali flyover to shut after cracks emerge

The alarm was raised on Sunday morning after a video showing the hanging concrete portion circulated among local residents and commuters

Thane: The Kasarvadavali flyover, opened barely 14 months ago to ease traffic on the congested Ghodbunder Road, will be shut to all vehicles from 11.59pm on Tuesday after cracks and a dangerously hanging concrete portion were spotted on the structure, prompting the MMRDA to undertake an inspection. The shutdown will continue for an unspecified period, depending on the inspection’s findings, officials said.

Year-old Kasarvadavali flyover to shut after cracks emerge

The alarm was raised on Sunday morning after a video showing the hanging concrete portion circulated among local residents and commuters. The damage, spotted around the middle of the flyover near its joints, triggered concerns over the safety of the structure and how it has been maintained.

Girish Patil, a social activist from Ghodbunder Road, recorded the video and alerted the contractor, Thane Municipal Corporation commissioner and traffic police. Teams from the MMRDA and other agencies subsequently visited the spot and stopped traffic on the flyover for a few hours, before vehicular movement was allowed to resume.

“The flyover is only 14 months old, and a portion of the flyover in the middle, near the joints, developed cracks and was hanging dangerously,” Patil said.

Patil said a civil engineer had told him that improper filling of sand at the joints could lead to such cracks. The exact reason for the damage, however, is yet to be established and will be assessed during the MMRDA inspection.

The flyover was inaugurated by state transport minister Pratap Sarnaik on July 8, 2025, primarily to divert Gujarat-bound traffic away from the roads below and ease congestion in Kasarvadavali and surrounding residential areas.

Its closure is likely to put further pressure on Ghodbunder Road, which residents say already sees severe congestion.

Aadidh Mehrotra, a Ghodbunder resident, said the flyover had helped keep heavy vehicles and traffic heading towards Ahmedabad away from the congested road below.

“The situation is going to be worse. Despite the flyover, the spot has been facing standstill traffic jams. The flyover is located at a spot where Ghodbunder Road becomes narrow, and there is a petrol pump on its left side, where people stop to fill fuel,” Mehrotra said.

There is unofficial speculation that the flyover could remain shut for three to four months, but authorities have not announced a fixed reopening date.

Pankaj Sirsath, DCP (Traffic), Thane Police, said the closure would come into effect at 11.59pm on Tuesday.

“Vehicles can use the slip roads to travel towards Gaimukh. The shutdown period of the flyover will depend on the time taken by the MMRDA to complete its inspection. The shutdown period of the flyover will depend on the time taken by the MMRDA to complete its inspection,” Sirsath said.