Mumbai Ahead of the monsoon, Mumbai Traffic Police have written to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to complete rebuilding of the flyover connecting Saki Naka to Asalpha and repairing the Sion-Dharavi bridge. While the flyover has been demolished and the subway under the bridge closed to pedestrians, commuters are being forced to take longer routes to reach their destination and bottleneck traffic jams are occurring at various junctions in the areas.
After the Himalaya bridge at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus collapsed on March 14, the BMC officials had put up a notice warning people not to use the Saki Naka-Asalpha flyover, also known as Hari Masjid bridge, since it was in a dilapidated condition. On March 23, this structure was demolished. However, two months after the demolition, BMC officials are yet to set a date to begin rebuilding the flyover.
The 10-metre flyover was one of the smallest bridges in Mumbai, used by over 25,000 vehicles daily, including heavy trucks. According to a senior traffic policeman, after the demolition of the flyover, there was traffic chaos in the area. “The already overcrowded Andheri-Ghatkopar Link Road was the only alternative.
Traffic diversion on this road was a menace and has resulted in bumper-to-bumper traffic,” said the officer. In the other case, a subway connecting Sion railway station and Dharavi was closed by the BMC over two months ago, as it was dangerous. However, vehicles continued to ply on the bridge over it.
The traffic officer asked, “Why does the BMC allow the plying of vehicles on the bridge if the subway below it has been deemed dangerous for pedestrians?” He was of opinion that if the bridge is dangerous for pedestrians, vehicular movement too should be stopped. After the subway was shut, the pedestrians began to use the overhead bridge, which has worsened the situation.
