‘Invitation to crashes’: 4-lane bridge near Mumbai suddenly narrows to 2; MMRDA denies design flaw

MUMBAI: A caller flyover successful Mira-Bhayander has triggered nationalist scrutiny aft a viral societal media station flagged what appeared to beryllium an abrupt simplification from 4 lanes to two. Responding to the criticism, MMRDA denied immoderate plan flaw, maintaining that the lane modulation is simply a planned engineering decision.The enactment erupted aft a station by the Gems of Mira Bhayander relationship connected X questioned whether the double-decker flyover - portion of the Metro Line 9 task - could worsen congestion alternatively of easing it. The station said the four-lane operation "suddenly narrows" into 2 lanes. MMRDA maintained the flyover's configuration is governed by right-of-way constraints and semipermanent enlargement plans. Officials said it has been designed with 2 lanes towards Bhayander (E), portion proviso has been kept for 2 much lanes towards Bhayander (W).The MMRDA has defended itself against disapproval implicit the Mira-Bhayander flyover, saying it was narrowed down to 2 lanes from 4 arsenic portion of a aboriginal hold crossed the Western Railway line.

Social activistic Anjali Damania rejected the explanation, calling the plan unsafe. "The span is an invitation to accidents. In Sept 2022, Cyrus Mistry died successful a car mishap owed to faulty span design. MMRDA is repeating the mistake and is not acceptable to admit it.

How galore lives are we going to enactment astatine risk?" she said.Advocate Krishna Gupta besides raised concerns implicit execution and accountability. "MMRDA is playing with the lives of communal people. The contractor, J Kumar Infraprojects, was earlier blacklisted by BMC, yet continues to person large infrastructure contracts. In the past, 2 double-decker bridges executed by the aforesaid contractor developed potholes wrong a twelvemonth of inauguration, raising superior questions astir prime power and oversight," helium said.MMRDA officials said the Metro Line 9 double-decker corridor includes aggregate viaduct stretches astatine antithetic stages of completion. The contention is centred connected the 1.5-km Deepak Hospital-Phatak Road agelong successful Bhayander (East), wherever the lane driblet has drawn criticism. Other sections of the double-decker viaduct, including the 1.1-km SK Stone Circle-Shivar Garden agelong and the 754-metre Kashigaon Metro Station-Saibaba Hospital stretch, person already been opened to traffic.MMRDA said the operation has been designed chiefly for postulation dispersal and congestion reduction, and includes information features specified arsenic signage, rumble strips and clang barriers, with inputs from postulation constabulary being incorporated earlier commissioning. Provision has besides been kept for aboriginal widening of the flyover, taxable to approvals and coordination with the Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporation.Taking a excavation astatine the authorities govt, Shiv Sena (UBT) person Aaditya Thackeray posted connected X, "Very true.

People indispensable not marque amusive of MMRDA and the squad that designed this masterpiece. Next year, different MoU connected teaching this plan to different countries. The span volition beryllium implicit by the timeline of everything other that was promised -2047. "What stupidity tin pb to this spurt successful specified horrid designs - the 2 lanes, reducing from 4 abruptly and the MMRDA defending this stupid, if not corrupt, practice. At slightest could person designed it amended to smoothen the modulation into 2 lanes? Any specified simplification of lanes is going to make chaos and postulation anyway! Guess the curate successful complaint of MMRDA."