Motorists travelling between the eastern suburbs and south Mumbai on the eastern express highway are likely to face traffic snarls from today as the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) will begin repair works on the Sion flyover.
The flyover will be shut for traffic from 5am on February 14 (Friday) to 5am on February 17 (Monday), and for seven weeks after that from 10pm every Thursday to 6am every Monday. (see box).
During this period, MSRDC plans to replace the bearing and expansion joints of the flyover.
Once the work is completed, the agency will shut the flyover for 20 days in April to relay the entire surface with concrete.
In 2017, the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) had conducted a structural audit of the bridge, which stated the flyover required remedial measures for its badly damaged bearings and expansion joints. The bearings help in controlling movement between the piers and the girders of the bridge.
In March 2019, a concrete plate of the flyover collapsed, after which heavy vehicles were banned on it.
The flyover was constructed in 1999 at a cost of ₹31 crore as a crucial connector between the island city and eastern suburbs. The repairs have been delayed by three years owing to various issues, including designs for bearings and permissions from the traffic police.
{{/usCountry}}The flyover was constructed in 1999 at a cost of ₹31 crore as a crucial connector between the island city and eastern suburbs. The repairs have been delayed by three years owing to various issues, including designs for bearings and permissions from the traffic police.
{{/usCountry}}The police, however, now seem confident that closure of the bridge won’t cause too much traffic chaos. “The repair work of the Sion flyover will happen only on weekends and during this time vehicles can pass under the flyover,” said Pravin Padwal, additional commissioner of police (traffic).