A civic official told TOI that the cement block barriers have been placed to prevent the entry of heavy vehicles, which are banned on this flyover.
This is an invitation to disaster. Vehicles passing through, especially at night, are in danger of crashing into these cement blocks. This just shows the callousness of the authorities in charge of maintaining the Link Road. These obstacles must be removed immediately
But Shaikh Fayyaz Alam of Govandi Citizens’ Forum said: “The cement blocks should not have been placed there as the flyover already has height barriers. And if at all they have to be placed, then it should be done properly so that they do not pose any hazard to motorists. We have complained about the placement of the cement block barriers to the BMC and the traffic police, but no action was taken.”
Earlier, actor-filmmaker Pooja Bhatt too had tweeted about the cement block barriers at both ends ofthe Ghatkopar-Mankhurd flyover. “Since the focus is on road safety in the light of the tragic & fatal accident #cyrusmistry was in can @MTPHereToHelp please do something about these huge cement blocks placed so carelessly at the beginning of the #ghatkoparmanhkurd flyover? These could prove fatal. Why do these concrete blocks continue to be here @MTPHereToHelp They are an absolute hazard. Especially after dark. Please confer with local authorities & insist on a safer alternative if you’ll must attempt lane division. This can kill someone.”
Built by the BMC at a cost of over Rs 700 crore, the 2.9-km flyover was opened for traffic on August 1, 2021. But motorists are already complaining about its maintenance, missing rumblers, and broken or missing anti-crash and sound barriers along some stretches.
Explaining the need to place the cement block barriers, an official of BMC bridges department said: “Though, height barriers have been placed, they are often knocked down by heavy vehicles, including tempos, that illegally use the flyover during night hours. Traffic then gets affected till we replace the height barrier.”
“As the barriers are at the start and end of the flyover, and there is no scope for vehicles to speed on the bridge. However, if there is a problem, we will look into it and resolve it,” the official added.
When asked about the missing anti-crash barriers, the official said they have filed police complaints against addicts who steal them during night time.
