Stuck in the fast lane

Thousands of commuters were stranded when landslides blocked the expressway. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) which is in charge of the expressway, finally requested the Central Road Research Institute, Delhi, to carry out a three-pronged safety audit report.

THE CRRI submitted its report in July 2004 and now before the arrival of the monsoon, some of the recommendations are being followed. But only about one-fourth work of the landslide reinforcement is complete.

Some of the critical errors that the CRRI has pointed out are incorrect curves between Lonavala and Khandala, three locations prone to landslides, wrong alignment at Kivle Naka, congestion due to the 1.5 km common alignment in the ghat section and water accumulation near culverts which have become dangerous skidding points. Besides, it has also recommended strict traffic enforcement and driver-friendly signs.

Says D.B. Deshpande, chief engineer, MSRDC, ‘‘Work for preventing landslides has been on since June 1. We have removed all loose boulders, reinforced the area at Amrutanjan Bridge and then have bound it by sturdy wire nets.’’

As for the bad road surface, experts say it was a technological flaw to make roads of concrete. Adds Maj Gen V.V. Bhide (retd) former DG of the Border Roads Organisation and former consultant for roads to the UAE, ‘‘Concrete is unable to withstand high temperature fluctuation which one experiences on this expressway. Probably, it would have survived if it was reinforced with steel.’’

The CRRI report’s recommendation of strengthening the road surface is being followed by the Ideal Road Builders (IRB), the agency which has been given the job to maintain the expressway with a plum Rs 333 crore contract. Managing director of IRB, Jayant Mhaiskar says: ‘‘We have cut the original concrete slabs with German machines and replaced them with Mastic (high grade bitumen) which is not only waterproof and durable but also ensures a smooth driving surface.’’

But as one hits the expressway from Pune and also between Lonavala and Khandala, the alignment is all wrong. According to road safety experts like Chandmal Parmar, the alignment in the original plan was tinkered since the bungalow of an influential person came in the way.

Parmar, who’s also member of the advisory group of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) alleges that, ‘‘political influence which has changed certain alignments is now proving a traffic hazard.’’

SPEEDING is another cause for worry. Girish Bapat, member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from Pune, took raised it in the recent assembly session in Mumbai. Says Bapat, ‘‘The speed limit is 80 km, most of the drivers drive even upto 140 km per hour.’’

The problem of enforcement is compounded due to the number of players. The expressway jurisdiction comes under several police departments—the Pune Rural police, highway police, Lonavala police, Raigad police and the Thane police.

Efforts by the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA) along with the police to have one police station for the entire expressway has made no headway.

But commuters are hoping that all the repairs carried out will not be washed out when the monsoon comes. Eventually.