MUMBAI: The ugly site of barricades lining the multiple stretches of arterial roads may become a thing of the past. MMRDA, which is executing Metro and road projects, has offered the front side of barricades for advertising.
MMRDA is implementing a 337-km-long metro network throughout the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
MMRDA has installed a total of 152.86km of barricades across several metro lines, including 2B, 4, 4A, 5, 6, 7A, and 9. Nearly 60% of these were removed before monsoon to ensure smooth movement of traffic. These barricades are meant to be temporary but at some places they are in place for almost half a decade due to sluggish pace of work because of various factors, including Covid-induced lockdown.
An official said, “The area where work is in progress is barricaded to ensure that vehicles and pedestrians are kept at a safe distance from the work site. But these barricades are smeared with mud and dust and present an ugly sight. We decided to come up with a solution that will make the these work sites less unpleasant.”
A senior official said, “To begin, MMRDA has offered barricades along the 30km-long stretch of Line 4.”
Officials said that this will be similar to billboards dotting the skyline. It will make the streets look more bearable since sight of construction activity across Mumbai is, at present, sickening, he said.
Many residents have welcomed this move. Chembur resident Jyostna Rao said, “These barricades have become part of Mumbai’s street furniture. There needs to be some accountability and work cannot be endless”
Motorist Anant Samant, who travels via Kurla said, “At Kurla, the barricades are there since before Covid wave hit the world. I can see the pillars coming up now.”
Many residents also said that the barricades also block the vision of motorists at junctions and there have been instances of near misses on several occasions.
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