3 flyovers damaged, no repair in sight

At least three flyovers in Mumbai are showing signs of major structural damage, posing a danger to the millions of people who use them daily, but civic authorities appear to be unmindful and are doing patchwork jobs instead of undertaking major, long-term repair work.

Structural damage to the Dindoshi flyover had come to light over one-and-a-half years ago. Now, three more bridges, the Dattapada flyover in Borivali and the one in Sion and King's Circle, need attention following major structural damages, officials said on condition of anonymity.

It’s a tale of neglect all around. And with monsoon set to hit the city on June 1, the problem can only get exacerbated.

On October 1, 2013, dna had reported major structural damage to the Dindoshi flyover. But the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) began the repairs more than six months later in May. Work on the south-bound flyover got over in a month, had partly paralysed traffic on the arterial Western Express Highway.

Several expansion joints of the south-bound Dattapada flyover in Borivali are also damaged, it is learnt. Though the problem has been there for two years, no permanent repair work has yet been undertaken. The temporary patchwork has only worsened the situation. Earlier last year, work on the breach on the expansion joint was shoddily carried out using just asphalt instead of recasting all the four sets of expansion joints.

Expansion joints are designed on a bridge for continuous traffic movement and accommodate shrinkage during temperature variations.

Construction of the flyover on the Western Express Highway had taken just over a year – April 13, 1998, to May 12, 1999. Traffic has increased manifold since but the MSRDC and traffic department are still allowing heavy vehicles to use the bridge, further damaging the already weak structure.

The other bridge in peril is the three-lane Sion flyover at the beginning of the Eastern Express highway. “Each bearing of this bridge is worn out, possibly because inferior quality bearings were used. It is not possible for it to get worn out within 10-15 years,” said an official requesting anonymity.

A bridge bearing is placed between piers and the bridge deck and is a resting surface to allow controlled movement and thereby reduce the stresses involved.

Officials had noticed the problem in the bridge, inaugurated on January 26, 2000, about five years ago. But nothing has been done about it. With each passing day, the scale of damage keeps increasing.

“Three years ago, the Mumbai Traffic police denied permission to repair this important bridge fearing that half of Mumbai’s vehicular traffic would come to a standstill at Sion. It will be a nightmare for travellers if Sion bridge shuts even for a couple of hours,” the official said.

According to 2011 study, over three lakh vehicles cross Sion daily making it one of the busiest locations in Mumbai.

An equal number of motorists use the 30-year old King's Circle (Aurora) flyover and has similar problem as Dindoshi bridge. The expansion joints here too have given away making it a bumpy ride for public and deteriorating the structural safety.

"We are aware about it and are looking into the problem," said Anil Diggikar, MSRDC vice-chairman and managing director. However, another official from the same organisation looking after bridges in Mumbai, said he was unaware of the problems.