Motorists to suffer as new Mumbra bypass develops new cracks, reopening delayed by month

Even as public works department (PWD) is repairing the Mumbra bypass road, new cracks have appeared on the stretch.

This is likely to postpone the opening of the bridge from July to August. The repair work was called off a few days ago owing to heavy rainfall.

Cracks were also spotted on the rail overbridge (ROB) that connects the bypass. Residents have requested traffic police department to deploy personnel near the bridge to prevent motorists for using it.

Residents said the cracks were spotted four days ago and are getting bigger with each passing day.

“Two days ago, the cracks were six-foot-deep. Now the depth has increased to nine feet. Despite the bridge being shut, people continue to use it owing to the absence of traffic police,” said Kashan Khan, 33, a resident of Amrut Nagar in Mumbra.

He added around 500 motorists use the bridge daily to avoid traffic near Mumbra station.

Sayyed Kadar, 35, a resident of Sonaji Nagar, Mumbra, said, “Although the road has been officially shut for motorists, locals who know the shortcuts access it to travel within Mumbra. These shortcuts are used to avoid traffic near Mumbra station. Moreover, there is a seasonal waterfall which is visited by locals. Hence, it is important for traffic ops to keep a tab on those using the road. This will help avert an untoward incident.”

According to a PWD official, the first phase of repair was supposed to be completed by July-end followed by the second phase. Officials said second phase can be completed while vehicles ply on the road. “We’ll soon propose a separate fund to repair the new cracks. For the first phase, ₹3.5 crore were set aside. Also, cracks on the ROB will be fixed in the second phase. The bypass was shut in May and supposed to reopen in July. However, heavy rainfall has slowed down repair work. Now, the bypass is likely to reopen in August,” official said