Priyadarshini flyover to get a major makeover

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will soon repair the Priyadarshini flyover on Napean Sea Road spending an estimated Rs 3.78 crore. It's one of the major flyovers in South Mumbai. It's in poor condition and needs urgent repairs, civic officials said. Cracks have developed at several places because of which iron rods have got corroded.

The bridge connects places like Petit Hall, Mount Pleasant Road, Napean Road, Manav Mandir Road and Walkeshwar Road. The cement concrete (CC) bridge built by the state public works department (PWD) about 40-45 years ago, sees heavy traffic.

BMC had appointed M/s Pentacle Consultants as technical consultants to suggest measures for repairing the bridge. According to their report, the bridge's bearings have worn out due to dislocation and bending; its expansion joints too have been damaged.

For the repair work, BMC received three bids, of which M/s Ten Constructions (India) bagged the contract for Rs 3.78 crore. The proposal will be tabled on Wednesday before the civic standing committee meeting for approval. The repairs works are expected to be completed within six months.

BMC, however, has no plans to remove illegal slum dwellers living on its pavement. A senior civic official said: "Removing encroachments is the responsibility of the ward office. They won't be an obstacle, however."