Pune-Mumbai expressway traffic blocks to remove boulders
Rujuta Parekh | TNN | Updated: Mar 9, 2019, 12:33 IST
Pune-Mumbai expresswayPUNE: Commuters on the Pune-Mumbai expressway may face slow-moving traffic along the ghat section as pre-monsoon works will roll out soon.
The Highway Safety Patrol (HSP) will stop traffic in the ghat section of the expressway five times a day for 15 minutes each from March 12 to March 20.
The traffic will be halted to make way for Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) to remove loose rocks and boulders near the Khandala tunnel.
MSRDC officials said they will begin rock mitigation work to remove loose boulders which could cause landslides during the monsoon. “The work is undertaken annually and will begin around mid-March this year,” an official added.
Police inspector Dattatray Gadhave of the HSP said, “Traffic moving on both sides will be stopped for 15-minute intervals so that the work can be done. The traffic blocks will be in place from 10am to 3.15pm on these dates around the 46km-mark. To make way for the weekend rush on the expressway, traffic will be allowed to move without any blocks after 3.15pm on March 15 until noon on March 18.”
HSP officials said commuters using the expressway must plan their travel keeping in mind the blocks.
For years, experts have said the area around the tunnels are high-risk and retention walls must be constructed.
The fragility of these areas can be traced to the time of construction when the slopes were cut through a cliff of vertical rocks to build the tunnels.
The bolts and mesh put in place as a safety measure along the Pune-Mumbai expressway are not always enough to break the fall of boulders during landslides.
When the excavation or blasting process was done for these tunnels, the vibration would have caused fractures in the rocks in the surrounding areas.
Fractures have developed in the basaltic rock due to the stress during the process of construction of roads and tunnels.
During the monsoon, water enters the gaps within the rocks. This adds to the weight of the rocks, causing them to topple after a point.
The Highway Safety Patrol (HSP) will stop traffic in the ghat section of the expressway five times a day for 15 minutes each from March 12 to March 20.
The traffic will be halted to make way for Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) to remove loose rocks and boulders near the Khandala tunnel.
MSRDC officials said they will begin rock mitigation work to remove loose boulders which could cause landslides during the monsoon. “The work is undertaken annually and will begin around mid-March this year,” an official added.
Police inspector Dattatray Gadhave of the HSP said, “Traffic moving on both sides will be stopped for 15-minute intervals so that the work can be done. The traffic blocks will be in place from 10am to 3.15pm on these dates around the 46km-mark. To make way for the weekend rush on the expressway, traffic will be allowed to move without any blocks after 3.15pm on March 15 until noon on March 18.”
HSP officials said commuters using the expressway must plan their travel keeping in mind the blocks.
For years, experts have said the area around the tunnels are high-risk and retention walls must be constructed.
The fragility of these areas can be traced to the time of construction when the slopes were cut through a cliff of vertical rocks to build the tunnels.
The bolts and mesh put in place as a safety measure along the Pune-Mumbai expressway are not always enough to break the fall of boulders during landslides.
When the excavation or blasting process was done for these tunnels, the vibration would have caused fractures in the rocks in the surrounding areas.
Fractures have developed in the basaltic rock due to the stress during the process of construction of roads and tunnels.
During the monsoon, water enters the gaps within the rocks. This adds to the weight of the rocks, causing them to topple after a point.
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