Another barrier bites the dust

 

 

 

 

Life is unpredictable, they say, but a heavy vehicle colliding into and damaging the height barriers at entrance on both ends of Shaheed Gowari flyover Sitabuldi, within days of installing them has become a predictable phenomenon. The pattern is now so entrenched that residents remarked the only uncertainty left is ‘when’ the barriers will fall, not ‘if’. Their cynicism was justified once again. The latest set of barriers, installed on December 3 under court-directed traffic regulation, could not even survive for 10 days.

 

The height barrier on the Rahate Colony end of the flyover, lone survivor after its counterpart on the Freedom Park Square side was damaged by a truck on December 5, was hit by a heavy vehicle late Thursday night. It was still standing until a second truck damaged it further on Friday morning, forcing the Public Works Department to remove it in the afternoon to avoid hazard to safe public transport. Interestingly, the height barrier on Rahate Colony end was stuck in same pattern, twice within 12 hours, in June this year as well, forcing the department to remove it that time also. The repeating pattern of damage so soon after installation every time cannot be a mere coincidence, felt some citizens. The height barriers were installed on both ends, following the instructions of the Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court to regulate traffic on flyover which prohibits heavy vehicles. Earlier, the accidents were attributed to absence of proper signage, reflective paint and lights. However, this time, the PWD installed speedbreaker, reflective paints, rumbling strip to warn the drivers of the height barriers ahead.

 

This time, though, all the elements were put in place in light of the Winter Session of Maharashtra Legislature currently underway in the city. Almost all ministers and MLAs use the flyover to reach their hotels and airports everyday. “The damage to the height barrier will continue, even after all the precautions till public takes their responsibility,” stated Krusha Gharde, Executive Engineer, World Bank Division, PWD. Gharde said that the case has been registered against the truck driver by the police.

 

The installation of height barriers is not cheap. Each time a barrier is installed and damaged, it sets back the exchequer by around Rs 20 lakh by a rough estimate. More than that, the resumed heavy vehicle traffic after removal of height barrier caused even more damage to the flyover, reducing its life span. Apart from ususal measures after 10 pm when heavy traffic is allowed through city limits, the authorities can install barricades that allow only smaller vehicles to pass through, that will discourage the heavy truck drivers to try and pass the barricade. The recurring damage exposes an enforcement deficit rather than an engineering flaw. Without strict physical and regulatory checks, barriers will continue to fall, public money will continue to drain, and the flyover’s deterioration will accelerate. The problem is not unpredictability; it is unchecked repetition.