PWD plans to close Mumbra bypass again for repair work

Merely a year after Mumbra bypass was closed for over five months for repair work, leading to massive traffic snarls, the authorities have proposed a closure again.

Merely a year after Mumbra bypass was closed for over five months for repair work, leading to massive traffic snarls, the authorities have proposed a closure again.

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The public works department (PWD) has sent a proposal to the state and Thane traffic department to allow closure of the road for six months to complete the pending repair works on the bridge.

In May 2018, the bypass was closed to repair seven concrete decks or slabs of the bridge which were in a dangerous condition. The authorities said the repair work of the remaining 16 out of the 23 slabs is pending.

An official from PWD said, “We have sent a proposal to close the bypass road for around six months. Last year, we repaired seven of the 23 concrete decks on the bypass. The repair work of the 16 decks is still remaining. We took almost five months to repair the seven decks. So, we will need at least six months to repair the remaining decks.”

He said they would rope in IIT-B to conduct a study of the dangerous decks. “We have sent a proposal to the state and Thane traffic department to give us a six-month block. A portion of the road comes under the Central Railway. We will have to seek a closure from them too if the slab needs to be changed. When the state approves the repair work, we will initiate the tendering process,” said the official.

He added that they haven’t decided the time-frame of the closure, as the traffic police were waiting for elections and Diwali to get over.

Last year, the closure of the bypass for five months led to huge chaos in the city. Most roads in Thane, Dombivli, Mumbai and Navi Mumbai had traffic problems as heavy vehicles had to take detours.

Deputy commissioner of police, traffic, Amit Kale, said no decision has been taken on the closure. “We have got the proposal from the PWD. We are yet to decide on the closure of the bypass road.”

Commuters are already dreading the closure.

Mohit Sharma, 28, a resident of Kalwa, said, “Last year when the bypass was closed, there was massive traffic on Thane-Belapur road and other major roads in the city. Trucks commuting to Navi Mumbai used the Thane-Belapur Road and the Eastern Express Highway to reach Navi Mumbai. The authorities should have completed the repair work last year. They could have employed additional manpower and completed the work instead of making us go through it again.”