Panic spread among motorists using the Mumbai Nashik highway after a roughly 50-foot-long and three-foot-wide slab of the median along the Mumbai-bound lane of the Kasheli bridge over the Kalwa Creek suddenly caved.
The huge gaping hole was potentially dangerous for motorbikes and small vehicles that often use the stretch, which was almost at the road level, to cross the narrow bridge.
This could lead any unwary motorist to accidentally land in the creek waters beneath. A team of MSRDC engineers inspected the stretch Saturday afternoon, barricaded the spot, and took temporary remedial measures, officials said.
The incident was reported around 5.30 am along the median of the Thane-bound lane of the Creek bridge on the Mumbai-Nashik expressway, popularly called the Bhiwandi bypass road. Local workers immediately alerted the MSRDC and the Thane traffic police, who instantly barricaded the stretch.
“A portion of the median slab gave way on the creek bridge, creating a gaping hole. The three-foot-wide stretch is often used by bikes and small vehicles to cross the bridge to avoid getting trapped between heavy vehicles. Any unwary motorist could have accidentally driven into the gap and fallen into the waters beneath. We instantly installed temporary cement barriers for the safety of bikers and small vehicles,” informed a traffic police official.
Meanwhile, the MSRDC issued a statement Saturday evening saying the cause of the incident will be investigated. “The incident occurred on the median of the bridge constructed in 1985. We have undertaken temporary remedial measures and will bar bikes from using the stretch to avoid any potential mishap. There is no impact on the main carriageway, but we will keep regular checks,” said a senior official.
The two-lane Kasheli bridge over the Kalwa Creek, whose median suffered damage, was constructed in 1985, while another two-lane creek bridge was constructed adjoining it in 2001.
The bridge is part of the highway that presently connects Northern Maharashtra with Mumbai and will be a crucial connector for the Samruddhi highway as well.
Thousands of city and inter-state freight and transport vehicles use the highway daily, which is being widened from four lanes to 12 lanes. A four-lane creek bridge is being constructed on the west side of the existing bridge, which will be pulled down for repairs once the under-construction bridge is completed.
