The Maharashtra government is planning to start repair work at the Sion flyover from mid-April owing to which the traffic will be diverted to the Eastern Express Highway (EEH).
The Maharashtra government plans to start repair work on the Sion flyover from mid-April which could cause major traffic snarls on the Eastern Express Highway (EEH), reported Hindustan Times.
Commuters on the EEH may face increased traffic woes due to the diversion until the flyover's repair work is completed. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) estimates that the work will take about 6 months.
"We are aiming to start the work by April 10 or 15. Traffic will have to be shut on the flyover for the repair period," an official from the MSRDC - bridges department told the paper.
Nearly 170 bearings on the Sion flyover will be replaced during the repairing, the report said. A bridge bearing is a component of a bridge which typically provides a resting surface between bridge piers and the bridge deck. Its purpose is to allow controlled movement between the piers and the girders of the bridge.
The government's move comes after a study by the Civil Engineering department, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), pointed out the flyover required remedial measures for its badly damaged bearings and expansion joints.
The MSRDC is likely to finalize the tenders for the repair work, costing about Rs 5 crore, by the end of this month.
Sion flyover bride was constructed in 2000 at a cost of about Rs31 crore to improve travel time for people travelling towards south Mumbai.