MID-DAY IMPACT: Vile Parle flyover contractor to be penalised over uneven surface

Taking note of the deteriorating surface of the Vile Parle flyover which was opened six months ago the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority MMRDA has said it would act against the contractor concernedMetropolitan Commissioner Dr Sanjay Mukherjee stated ldquoOfficials have been directed to impose penalties on the contractor responsible for the newly constructed domestic airport flyover on the Western Express HighwayrdquoOn Sunday when this correspondent revised the spot around 1 pm the upper layer of the stretch appeared uneven Fine particles had come off posing a threatto motorcyclistsThe previous day Mumbai North Central MP Varsha Gaikwad posted about the issue on X ldquoVile Parle flyover to ease traffic towards the airport inaugurated in March already in bad shape The KhokeSarkaar model of development sicrdquo she posted Several irate motorists also took potshots at the authorities onsocial mediaNo lessons learntmidday first highlighted the sorry state of the flyover in July The MMRDA had taken cognisance of motoristsrsquo complaints posting on X on July 23 ldquoDuring our regular site inspection at the T1 flyover we observed concerns about potholes and road surface at Vile Parle Immediate action was taken by alerting the contractor and the project management consultant Dr Mukherjee IAS ordered an explanation and issued showcause notices Also penalties were imposed on the contractor and PMC due to negligence The contractor rectified the surface using mastic to repair the damaged portion Good news The area has been fully remediated Thank you for your patience and understandingrdquoExpertSpeakTransport expert Jitendra Gupta said ldquoPlease publish in bold letters the names of the defaulting contractor government supervisor chief road engineer of the government agency his subordinates assistants and every individual who was responsible for supervising the work Until they all are named and shamed things will never improverdquoAnother expert A V Shenoy said ldquoThe main reason for the bad condition of the flyovers surface is awarding the tender to the contractor without considering their capabilities and past performance Inadequate supervision by road engineers and rushing to meet the inauguration deadline sacrificing workmanship are also to blame A road needs to be opened only after due inspection and quality checks Independent auditors with adequate experience must ensure roads comply with Indian Roads Congress specificationsrdquoThe structureThe flyover was constructed to improve the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Airport domestic terminal T1 junction The MMRDA claimed that the flyoverrsquos inauguration would open up a new and effective route to ease the movement of traffic headed towards Bandra from the international airport and from Andheri to the T1 terminal in Vile Parle thereby preventing traffic congestion reducing pollution and promoting passenger safety on the Western Express HighwayThe construction of the flyover witnessed the implementation of various innovative procedures including the use of steel and PSC girders and a groundbreaking technique called the inverted T arrangementConstruction work on the 790metre project started in June 2021 at a provisional sum of R4843 crore The MMRDA decided to construct the twolane flyover as motorists coming via the Sahar elevated road and going towards Bandra via the WEH got stuck in traffic near the domestic airport flyover signalWith the construction of the new flyover which is adjacent to the existing domestic airport flyover motorists can bypass the signal saving time790 mLength of flyover