Thanks to CM, one-way traffic on day one

A day after the CM inaugurated the flyover, the north-bound traffic was closed till 6 pm, as the pandal to host VVIPs was not dismantled in time

Thanks to CM, one-way traffic on day one

A day after the CM inaugurated the flyover, the north-bound traffic was closed till 6 pm, as the pandal to host VVIPs was not dismantled in time

A day after its stately inauguration, the northbound carriageway of the Lalbaug flyover remained closed to vehicular traffic, not for final touches to the construction work, but owing to the fact that MMRDA officials required 19 long hours to dismantle the pandal it had set up for the opening.

The Sion-bound lane was finally thrown open to the public post 6 pm, after the pandal was dismantled

Not that things were smooth-sailing in the southbound carriageway. The traffic situation in the stretch leading to Byculla was as congested as it usually is. Traffic on the southbound section of Dr Ambedkar Road, between Dadar and the Lalbaug flyover, also crawled forward.

Vijay Yadav, a resident of Parel, said, "I was eager to take my family on a drive on the flyover. We started our journey from Lalbaug at 10.30 am.
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But to our dismay, we realized that traffic is still moving at the same slow pace. On our way back, when we got down from the flyover at Byculla, I saw that the entrance to the northbound carriageway at Byculla had been closed.

Because of the laziness displayed by the authorities, traffic coming from Byculla towards Lalbaug could not use the flyover. There was a heavy traffic jam at Byculla, as a result of which it took me more than 30 minutes to reach Lalbaug."

Expert speak
Speaking to MiD DAY, Transport Expert Ashok Datar said, "The traffic problems will not be addressed simply by constructing flyovers.
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This is a short-term solution. More and more flyovers will only invite more traffic. Instead, the public transportation system should be improved, so that the number of private vehicles in the road decreases."

Troubled times?
Even though the eagerly anticipated flyover was formally inaugurated, motorists will only be able to use it to reach from Byculla to King's Circle speedily, in about 15-20 minutes. Once they reach King's Circle, however, motorists will have to weather the usual water-logging problems that plague the area.

If the MMRDA really wants to alleviate the commuters, then it will have to remedy the water logging problems, so that motorists truly benefit from the four flyovers that collectively cost the exchequer Rs 299 crore.

Speaking to MiD DAY, Transport Expert Sudhir Badami said, "Waterlogging is a severe and perennial problem in the area. This is sure to slow down traffic coming down from and going up the flyover at King's Circle."

Speaking to MiD DAY, MMRDA Commissioner Rahul Asthana had said, "With the flyover, the MMRDA aimed to provide faster connectivity to the commuters and motorists traveling on Dr Ambedkar Road, which is one of the arterial roads in Mumbai."

About the waterlogging problems, Asthana said, "I don't think it will hamper traffic movement at all. The BMC will be using pumps to remove water from all the areas where there are chances of the traffic movement getting affected."

His claims, however, do little to assuage the concern of motorists, who are already facing traffic jams in the area, caused by waterlogging from the early monsoon showers this week.

Badami said, "The only solution to solve the water logging problem is by raising the height of the railway bridge. The BMC should also install pumps. Personally, I feel that the flyover will benefit the commuters. Another solution is the implementation of Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS)."

The Other Side
When contacted, the MMRDA Joint Project Director Dilip Kawatkar said, "The pandal that was constructed as per the norms set by Public Works Department (PWD), at the ITC Junction-Lalbaug.

Because it is the monsoon season, we had made a sturdy pandal, so that invitees would not be exposed to the inclement weather conditions.
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It takes around 19 hours to dismantle this kind of pandal and transport the material from the site. This is why the northbound carriageway was closed till 6 pm. We are sorry for having inconvenienced the passengers."

Commuter says
Even after the flyover was thrown open, northbound traffic in the area is moving very slowly. It took me 25 minutes to reach Lalbaug from Jijamata Udyan. The condition of the flyover is not good either. I wonder what the MMRDA has spent its budget of Rs 150 crore on?u00a0
Raj Chaudhary, commuter