The third phase of the Sion Flyover repairs will be undertaken by the nodal agency Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) from Friday evening to Monday morning. The repairs were earlier scheduled from Thursday evening, but was reduced considering the ongoing examinations and traffic snarls. The MSRDC will change 16 of the total 160 bearings during the third phase, said officials.
An MSRDC official said, the third phase of the repairs of Sion flyover, which connects the Eastern Express Highway (EEH), was to be carried out from March 5 to 9, however, considering the traffic congestion and snarls, the starting period was postponed by a day. However, the work of this phase will be completed as per the schedule.
The repair process, which has been divided into eight phases, will render the flyover shut to replace its 160 bearings and expansion joints. The first phase of the repairs was supposed to be carried out from February 14 (Friday) 5am to February 17 (Monday) 5am, however, as crucial repairs in the first block was incomplete, it was extended by a day, which overshot the scheduled time.
The second phase had completed on time, but bottleneck traffic, extending travel time by an hour, was reported in both the phases. To avoid traffic congestion this time, Mumbai Traffic Police have deployed extra force.
The repair work was undertaken after the findings of a structural audit by the Indian Institute of Technology had revealed that the pillars of the Sion flyover had become weak and needed immediate attention. Moreover, after the entire process of repairs, which is changing the bearings and expansion joints, is completed by mid-April, the flyover will be shut for at least two weeks to resurface it with concrete, an MSRDC official said.
