Mumbai: The construction work of new height barricades at both ends of the Sion Flyover connecting the King’s Circle Bridge will soon be completed. The Free Press Journal had previously reported about recurring accidents of heavy duty vehicles crashing into the bridge. The newspaper had also covered the potential dangerous consequences if such mishaps continued.
Consequently, the traffic police and Central Railway began the work to erect the barricade at the north and south entrances of the flyover. The work was initiated after the CR received a no objection certificate from the traffic authorities on Nov 9.
“The work is going in full swing. We are assisting the work by blocking the traffic during the night when they (railways) undertake construction. Major work has been completed. The entrance from the Sion Hospital end is almost complete and a small chunk is pending at the Matunga end. It will be done in the next 3-4 days,” said the traffic official.
A railway official confirmed, “Around 70% of the erection work is completed. We are aiming to complete the work on both sides by Dec 10.” Once barricading is finished, the next move will be to install blinker lights and reflectors for better visibility for the drivers. “As of now, the focus is on the barricades at both ends. As it happens, the lights and also the signboard will be installed. We have a small board now, but a bigger one would be helpful for the drivers,” the official added.
Since the onset of construction and fitting works, no accidents have been reported so far, confirmed the Matunga and Sion police stations, who have jurisdiction over the flyover and bridge. Oct 24 was the last time when a vehicle rammed into the bridge. Since January 2019, 18 such accidents have been reported, posing a serious threat to the bridge, motorists, as well as the safety of the trains.
“For overlooking the work, we have deployed officers–two of them at Maheshwari Udyan end and two at Matunga end–on the flyover. Since then, even if any heavy vehicle comes in the bridge’s direction, they are diverted from the entrance itself,” the official added.
