7 accidents later, PWD to install LED-equipped height barriers on Gowari flyover

 

 

 

After removing the height barriers installed at both ends of the Shaheed Gowari (Sitabuldi) Flyover, the State Public Works Department (PWD) is now considering installing new blinking LED lights along the entire frame of the height barriers to improve visibility for speeding vehicles on the bridge. A meeting of PWD officials was held at Police Bhavan on Saturday. During the meeting, Commissioner of Police Dr Ravinder Kumar Singal directed the PWD officials to install strips of blinking LED lights on the entire frame of the height barriers to ensure they are clearly visible to approaching vehicles, allowing drivers to slow down in time. The CP also suggested installation of CCTV cameras on the height barriers. Similarly, PWD officials requested that police personnel be deployed round-the-clock at the flyover to caution drivers before they enter the bridge.

 

Commissioner Dr Singal approved the request. An official from PWD’s World Bank Division stated that the height barriers had been installed at a cost of Rs 25 lakh. The project also included the installation of signboards and rumble strips. However, since their installation, seven accidents involving heavy vehicles were reported - two at the Rahate Colony end and five at the Zero Mile end of the flyover. Following this, the damaged barriers were removed and left the flyover once again vulnerable to the movement of heavy vehicles. The official further added that the barriers were removed because they had become severely damaged and posed a safety risk, as parts could fall on passing vehicles. Hence, they were taken down. New height barriers will be installed once a fresh tender is floated. However, the official did not specify the timeline for the new installations.