Patchwork & hope to hold flyover eyewash together

MUMBAI: Motorists taking the Barfiwala flyover may get a brief reprieve from a back-breaking drive as potholes on the month-old flyover were temporarily filled up with paver blocks and concrete on Thursday. The road below it also got a much-needed filler, though the utility of the entire exercise will only be known after the next downpour.
Men and machinery deployed by both the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) and Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) swung into action to repair the Rs 42.5-crore flyover on Thursday morning."We have temporarily filled up potholes with paver blocks and concrete. We hope this lasts long, but in case of heavy rains some pockmarks may resurface. The agencies on the job will keep fixing them till the rains end. But a permanent solution is possible only after monsoon ends," said an engineer on the job.
A senior MMRDA official claimed that though the material was up to the mark, the way workers had put in the top layer was flawed, resulting in potholes.
Repairs at the nearby Tipu Sultan junction were scheduled to be carried out later at night. A senior MSRDC official said since the defect liability for any damage to the flyover was with the contracted firm, monitoring and repairing work will be carried out by them. "In fact the contracting firm has been carrying out temporary patch-up work every now and then. The final layer was not put on the flyover as it was opened during the monsoon. We knew potholes would occur during rains and hence avoided costly mastic asphalting. The decision to open the partially-completed flyover during the monsoon was taken to ease construction of other half by managing traffic properly. The mastic layer which will be applied in October will eventually fix the problem permanently," the official added. The flyover has been delayed by over two years due to legal battles over acquisition of properties, escalating its cost by Rs 12.5 crore.
Several citizens and shopkeepers of Andheri had expressed their anger over the administration's apathy over the traffic chaos. They complained that even after the delay, the flyover failed to offer any solution to the traffic mess and the around 80,000 vehicles travelling between east and west Andheri daily took 40 minutes to cover the distance. Moreover, since the flyover is half-built, construction for the north-bound arm is creating a hurdle as lanes have been barricaded and traffic diverted. Locals alleged even the diversion was ill-managed.