Mumbai, Jan 27 (PTI) A newly-constructed flyover at Mira-Bhayandar near Mumbai that narrows midway from four lanes to two lanes has drawn criticism, raising questions on planning, traffic flow, and commuter safety.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which built it, on Tuesday said the transition from four lanes to two lanes is a planned feature and not a structural or design flaw.
Reacting to the viral video of the flyover which has drawn criticism and mockery on social media, the authorities claimed it was the result of space constraints.
MMRDA, which is the nodal planning and development body for the Mumbai metropolitan region, has constructed the double-decker flyover in Bhayander.
After aerial footage of the structure began to circulate on social media, some users ridiculed the planning and expressed fear that the design could lead to traffic snarls, if not accidents. It also reminded some users of the 'faulty design' of the Rail Over Bridge in Bhopal with an unusual 90-degree turn, which prompted the Madhya Pradesh government to suspend seven engineers, including two chief engineers of the Public Works Department.
“See the design of upcoming Rs 100 crore double decker flyover in Mumbai. Four lanes suddenly narrow into just two lanes. Just imagine the ride at night. Engineering marvel at best," wrote X handle @IndianGems_, which shared the video of the Bhayandar flyover.
The X handle of the Congress too weighed in, targeting BJP governments.
"Engineering miracle in Maharashtra.... May it be Madhya Pradesh or Maharashtra, such life-threatening miracles have become common under BJP government," said the post in Hindi.
The MMRDA said the flyover does not “narrow down” suddenly, and the transition from four lanes to two lanes was designed keeping in mind width constraints and future planning requirements.
"As per planning, the flyover has been designed with two lanes for Bhayander East and two future connecting lanes for Bhayander West," the state-run authority said in a statement, adding that since the Bhayander East arm comes first along the alignment, the four-lane configuration currently transitions into two lanes.
The two lanes on the outer side are planned as part of future extension towards Bhayander West across the Western Railway line, it said.
“I don’t know how this got approved. A 4-lane flyover in Mira-Bhayandar suddenly becomes 2 lanes. No proper merging ramp,” YouTuber Pushpendra Singh wrote on X.
“After the Bhopal overbridge design fiasco, here's another crazy road, in Mumbai. The Mira Bhayandar double decker flyover suddenly narrows from 4 lanes to 2 - with sharp angles that could kill motorists. MMRDA says the outer lanes will be built in the future but it disagrees on the sudden narrowing. The camera does not lie @MMRDAOfficial. Former TATA chairman Cyrus Mistry was killed because of a similar road design, with a 3-lane road abruptly narrowing into 2 lanes,” writer Rakesh Krishnan Simha posted on X.