Mumbai: The Eastern Freeway linking P.D'Mello Road in south Mumbai with the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road is fast emerging as the most dangerous road in the metropolis. This 16.8km-long road was built by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) at a cost of ₹1,106 crore after considerable delay and cost overrun.
It was handed over to the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) in 2015 and it is primarily because of gross laxity on the part of the civic body that the freeway has become a dangerous road to drive on specially at night.
Motorist complain of defunct street lights, leaking tunnel roof
Several street lights have not been working for the past several months. B Neeta, who uses this road daily, said, “For the past 18 months the street lights on the north-bound segment after you cross the tunnel are not working.”
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He said, “It is at this stretch that the road bifurcates with the right lanes going up the ramp towards the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road, while the one on the left leads you to the Shivaji statue in Chembur. In the absence of lights and reflectors, there is every possibility of an accident. Motorists not familiar with the bifurcation may end up crashing their vehicles at the bifurcation.”
Even before one enters the tunnel on the north-bound side, most lights are not functional. The situation becomes particularly dangerous at night during rains because of poor visibility. This segment of the tunnel itself is in bad shape. At three points water falls heavily from the roof.
“For a few seconds, you are blinded by the sudden falling of water on your windscreen. It is a sheer miracle that no accident has taken at these spots. Even during non-monsoon season water is continuously falling at these spots,” another motorist, Paresh Thakkar, noted.
Freeway is accident-prone
Before one reaches Ajmera’s I-Land property on the north-bound section, the road drops suddenly and if a person is not careful he or she may meet with an accident. A ramp ought to have been provided at this spot so that the flow of traffic is smooth.
At several spots, there is water logging since the outlets have not been cleaned. The constant flooding is sure to damage the road, but then no one in the MCGM appears to be bothered. The chief engineer concerned was not available for comment. The water sprayed by speeding vehicles falls on the windshields of other cars blinding the drivers momentarily.
Repair Work
Repair work is going on in the south-bound tunnel, but the lighting is so poor that it is difficult to spot the metal barricades placed by the BMC. There is no warning sign and this endangers the lives of motorists. The freeway is supposed to be a no-ride zone for bikers, but then one can find any number of two-wheelers at any given time. The traffic cops obviously are lax.
“It appears that the BMC is waiting for an accident to take place before it wakes up and ensures safety on this important road of Mumbai,” said Malkit Abrol, a regular user.
