In a sustained campaign, MiD DAY dwells upon the state of the city's roads that afflict commuters day after day. We talk to stakeholders, authorities and experts to tell you what they think, plan, and recommend so that your daily commute is no longer a nightmare
In a sustained campaign, MiD DAY dwells upon the state of the city's roads that afflict commuters day after day. We talk to stakeholders, authorities and experts to tell you what they think, plan, and recommend so that your daily commute is no longer a nightmare
The city that never sleeps has roads that never heal. Here, driving is a ride on a pogo stick, walking is a hopscotch, and navigating, a nightmare. And you do not have to be reminded what monsoon does to your commuting experience. Even after pumping nearly Rs 1,000 crore to overhaul the roads, every monsoon, the cracks show up, widen and become potholes. The BMC does carry out the extensive exercise of filling up the dot holes threatening to become potholes. But somehow, we find ourselves in the same rocky place -- in the gaps bridging the roads.
Last year, MiD DAY had carried out a campaign during monsoon, where readers were asked to spot the worst road. On the basis of their feedback, the two worst roads were Thakur Village Road in Kandivli and Andheri-Kurla Road. As you will find out, they retain their infamous title even today.
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Nonetheless, before monsoon drowns the city this year, we decided to speak with the authorities regarding 12 of the city's worst roads, and find out if we should harbour any hopes of road repairs before the rains.
The network
Mumbai has a 1,900-km long network of roads, of which 500 km is concrete. The rest is made with asphalt, tar or paver blocks. Most of this is dug up or has loose paver blocks. With the beginning of the fiscal 2011-12, according to the BMC responsible for a bulk of the road network, there were nearly 7,000 potholes in the city. Most of these are concentrated on 12 roads, the state of which we will dilate upon. In order to spot them, we approached NV Merani, the chairman of the Standing Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) on roads and a Public Works Department Principal Secretary. We asked him for guidelines on how to assess a bad road. Setting out the parameters for a bad road, Merani said:
Any road that has more than 4 potholes, has depressions, is rough, is dug up, with paver blocks not in their proper place is considered as a bad road. On the basis of these five factors, a team of MiD DAY reporters narrowed down the 12 roads that Mumbaikars dread taking, rains or no rains. We visited these to check their current status. Their description is followed by Merani's expert comments and a rating on a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being the worst.
Composition of an ideal road
Rajiv Kamrah, a contractor of concrete roads in Delhi, who is also a consultant to the Central Road Research Institute, details the composition of an ideal road.
In an urban area:
Each layer of earth is compressed using a beam vibrator. The next 300 mm of the road is filled with PCC (Plain Cement Concrete) or DLC (Dry Lean Concrete).
For a concrete road,
>The compression layers should be compressed at least 95%.
>Cement used should be of OBC grade.
>Well graded Coarse aggregate and fine aggregate must be used for the construction.
>The batching plans should be near to the site of construction of the road, as the laying of concrete has to be done within 3 hours of making of the concrete.
Andheri-Kurla Road
BMC Assistant Engineer Sanjay Borse of K-East Ward (where the road falls) said, "The road currently belongs to MMRDA. They are carrying out the Metro Rail work. Till the time the project work is going on, there will be traffic congestion because the roads have been dug up at various junctions." The MMRDA Assistant Engineer AN Basme said, "The trenches and various depressions will be filled up before the commencement of the monsoon. In a month, everything will be filled up."
Expert Comment:
Jari Mari: Paver blocks are put up over a trench or may be it is a local depression. There is a standard way of putting the paver blocks along with the concrete curve line.
Rating: 1/5
Assistant Municipal Commissioner Vishwas Shankarwar:
Phone no: 9820702513
MMRDA Assistant Engineer
A N Basme: 9869475737
Expert Comment:u00a0Sakinaka, Marolnaka: The trenches and paver blocks are sinking because of the loose earth underneath. The roadwork at Sakinaka is shabby, especially at the point of the manhole, which needs to be removed and then laid again after proper work on it. At Marol Naka it is the local depression.
Rating: 1/5
Pics: sameer markande, Datta Kumbhar, Mahesh Chafe
Sakinaka: 7 potholes, the biggest measuring 82 inches.
Marolnaka: 3 potholes, the largest being 111 inches. Kurla, Jari Mari: two major potholes measured 40 inches and 31 inches.
Thakur Cinema
The 90 feet road in front of Thakur cinema has two potholes, of 48 inches and 50 inches.The roads in Kandivli, especially at Thakur Village, are in utter disrepair. Assurance has been given by the assistant municipal commissioner of R South Ward, Sanjog Kabre, that the roads would meet citizens' expectations by the next monsoon.
Expert Comment:u00a0There are potholes and they need repairs
with proper material which would not wear out during the rains.
Rating: 3/5
The basic reason as to why the roads at Thakur village were creating problems could be considered as the laying down of the sewage line from the 90-degree road to Thakur Village on one hand and then from the same to the ACP's office. The work is divided into two different phases. Said Kabre, "The laying down of sewage line at the 90 feet road to Thakur village has been completed. The road will now be concretized and cemented. It is because of this reason that the roads were dug up."
The potholes formed as a result of lack of a sewage line as due to which water could not percolate through. Now, with the sewage line is in place, water can easily seep through. BMC Executive Engineer for the ward, Anil Kamble, said, "The road work will surely be completed by next year. At present, the tendering process is going on, after which the actual work will commence. The potholes will be repaired as a preventive measure and that guarantee would be completely taken by the contractor for a particular period of time."
Phone numbers (R South Ward) Assistant Municipal Commissioner Sanjog Kabare: 9167203774
Executive Engineer Anil Kamble: 9322902311
Pramila Nagar Road, Dahisar West
Here, there is one big pothole with a dimension of 94 inches
The situation at both Pramila Nagar Road and Vaman Bhoir Road has improved over the last year. But some areas still have innumerable potholes and bumpy roads. Satish Warkar, assistant municipal commissioner of R North Ward, under which the road falls, has undertaken certain preventive measures for the pre-monsoon season.
u00a0
Expert Comment:The road requires surfacing and should be
done immediately. The need to apply a seal coat to make the
surface smooth.u00a0
Rating: 3/5
"The work will be done in three different stages. As of now we have identified certain chronic potholes which might create a problem to the residents travelling on an everyday basis," he said.u00a0
Executive Engineer of R North Anil Kamble, said, "We have plans in order to make roads at Kandar Pada, Pramila Nagar and other areas concrete. This work will surely be done after the monsoon season. As of now, only preventive measures regarding filling the potholes with gravel are being undertaken."
Goregaon-Malad, SV Road
There are 6 potholes and the biggest is 164 inches.
Executive Engineer of P North Ward Pahaldas Kadam said, "The filling of potholes is already in progress and the work is expected to get over by April 30."u00a0 Before the arrival of the monsoons, these roads are annually repaired but potholes continue to inconvenience commuters.
Expert comment: There are too many unattended trenches
on the roads. They need to be filled in immediately.u00a0
Rating: 2/5
Orlem Road, Malad
There are 20 potholes, the largest being 194 inches.
The side of the road has been dug up. In Malad, especially at SV Road and Orlem Lane, which are frequented by commuters daily, potholes galore and the roads are uneven, with the most number of potholes. The road witnesses traffic jams at peak hours and travelling on it is a nightmare for commuters who bear bumpy rides all the time.
Phone numbers (P-North Ward)
Assistant Municipal Commissioner Vijay Balamwar: 9820702619 Executive engineer: Pahaldas Kadam: 9821178875
Expert comment: It looks like an old trench which needs filling.
Rating: 3/5
Vaman Bhoir Road, Dahisar West
Here, there are 5 potholes, the biggest being 39 inches.
Pics/Mahesh Chafe
Expert comment: The monsoons would spoil the road further
if not attended to right now.
Rating: 3/5
Ghatkopar Station Road
The largest pothole found at Jawahar Road measured 51 inches.
Roads around the station, which fall under the M-East Ward, are full of potholes every few feet, along with debris from construction sites heaping about. The chief executive officer of the ward, Jitendra Gupta, said, "We are cleaning the gutters, and 60% of the work is done."u00a0 Assistant Municipal Commissioner of N Ward, Shabbir Bargir, said that a contractor has been appointed for the repair work, and a list of 61 sites in the ward has been made. We should finish the work by May 10."
Phone numbers
(M-East Ward)
Assistant Municipal Commissioner Shabbir Bargir: 9920041485 Executive Engineer Jitendra Gupta's number was not available.
u00a0
Pic/Datta Kumbhar
Smooth sobo
In the island city, most of the roads were done to perfection. The most well-maintained roads were found in A Ward, which had only 11 potholes.
Napeansea Road in D Ward was expected to have some potholes, as there were the last time we visited. But they were all patched up and the road, overall, did not fit the 'bad road' parameters.
Waqarunissa Ansari, corporator from B Ward, said, "A year back the roads were in a very bad condition. But now the road department has done their job and there is not much amiss with the roads."
RC Marg Road, Chembur
The largest pothole found here, 60 inches, is at Marauli Church.
The stretch of the road from Chembur Naka to the Refinery, where Monorail construction is going on, is full of potholes and mud. Traffic comes to a standstill as people try to navigate through the pits. The Assistant Municipal Commissioner of N Ward, D Kshirsagar, was unavailable for comment. Assistant Engineer Narendra Pol said, "We should be done with the repair work by May 10. The RC Road is the responsibility of the MMRDA. But we are giving them notices to repair the road, and following up with them."
Phone numbers (N Ward)
Assistant Municipal Commissioner
D Kshirsagar: 9167203773
Assistant Engineer Naresh Pol: 9967329034
Pic/Sameer Markande
Expert comment:The trenches filling not done properly and they
should filled according to the guidelines stated by the STAC committee.
Rating: 3/5
Ambedkar Road, Khar
Of the six potholes we measured, the biggest was 21 metres in length and 50 inches in breadth.
The Danpada area has a lot of depressions -- the two biggest measures 35 inches and 40 inches. It is dug up, with broken paver blocks lining the road. Assistant Engineer NS Sakpal of H West Ward presents a long list of around 25 roads on which they will work pre-monsoon. But the list doesn't include the worst of the roads, Ambedkar Road. Assistant Municipal Commissioner MM Kshirsagar of H West Ward said, "We haven't included Ambedkar Road because there are many other roads to work on. Also people of the area haven't ever complained about it. Now that you have brought it to our attention, we will be sure to start the work soon."
Pic/Atul Kamble
Expert comment: After digging the trench, it has not been
restored properly.
Rating: 2/5
Chuim Village Road, Khar
Here we observed more than 20 broken paver blocks concentrated in a small area and around 3 big potholes; 40 inches deep.
Expert comment: Too many local depressions in the area and
the filling not done properly due to which there is loose earth
under the surface. It is completely neglected.
Rating: 1/5
KC Marg, near Lilavati Hospital, Bandra
The biggest pothole here was 35 inches
The roads here should ideally have been in a better condition because it is dotted with popular youth hangouts like Candies and other cafes and restaurants. But we observed there is no cemented road here at all, and it is hardly level. Assistant Municipal Commissioner of H West Ward said, "This road is not under BMC but MMRDA. So we are not responsible for its condition." But Ashok Athawle, the superintending engineer of MMRDA, said, "The road was taken by the MMRDA for a project and after it got over, it was handed back and has been under BMC since 2007."
Expert comment:u00a0It is again neglected and they should pay
attention to it before the monsoon.
Rating: 3/5
TPS3, TPS4, near Almeida Park, Bandra
Town Planning Scheme Road is dug up, and has more than 5 potholes, the largest being 85 inches
The road in this area is rugged with potholes and dug up but officials do not see anything wrong with the way they are. Assistant Municipal Commissioner MM Kshirsagar, "What is the harm in those roads; they are pretty fine. There might be some construction work going on because of which they are dug up." The road engineer had something similar to say.
Phone numbers (H West Ward)
Assistant Municipal Commissioneru00a0 MM Kshirsagar: 9820702614 Assistant Engineer NS Sakpal: 9820280776
Expert comment:The road condition is neglected and the
ward officer should respond immediately to fix them up.
Rating: 2/5
Potholed
This year, for administering repairs, the BMC has inventoried locations with a maximum number of potholes. Their count is as follows:
Western suburbs: 1,354 locations
Eastern suburbs: 382 locations
Island city: 459 locations
Bad, worse, worst
The worst three suburbs, by the number of potholes, are:
>> Dahisar: 344
>> Malad: 291
>> Bandra West: 180
The most well maintained roads were found in A Ward in south Mumbai, with 11 potholes
Budget talk
The BMC's budget for Roads and Bridges for 2011-12 is
Rs 1,299.53 crore. However, the overall budget of the Roads Department has come down.
Rs 600 crore will be allocated for concretisation, Rs 300 crore for asphalting and laying paver blocks, Rs 100 crore for emergency work. With these allocations, cement concretisation has been proposed for roads in the following segments:
>About 10.23 km roads in town
>About 12.50 km in eastern suburbs
>About 7.50 km in western suburbs
Voices
"Rains are the worst season. There is a lot of traffic on the streets, and people on foot also have to navigate their way through puddles."
-- Prema Yadav, resident of Kurla
"It is very difficult to get in or out of railway stations, especially during peak hours. The commuters yell at you, and accuse us that we do not get them to their destination on time."
-- Pramod Mishra, an auto driver in Ghatkopar
"SV Road is pathetic and travelling on it is stressful. Orlem lane is the worst. The bad roads give rise to back problems among commuters."
-- Renita Joy from Malad
u00a0"I have a bike and the bumps are dangerous for the pillion rider. They also make the ride uncomfortable."
-- Sandeep Malhotra, resident of Malad
"In my area, where there were many potholes before, they have already been filled up with the onset of April."
-- Sanjay Gurav, Fort resident
"After the Bandra-Worli Sea Link has come up, the roads have been developed and are free of potholes, ensuring a smooth drive. The Fire Station Road in Colaba is under
construction."
-- Sunny Serrao, Worli resident
"The road is currently under construction, but it is a smooth one, facilitating faster transport.
The city is well developed and commuters do not face problems. But, the suburbs are a nightmare, roads are a nuisance there, even though they are repaired annually."
-- Sangeeta Deshpande, Colaba resident
"It is so difficult for us to even walk on this road. It is dug up, with potholes and stones everywhere.
While travelling, we get jerks. Ambedkar Road has been totally ignored by the BMC, as it is in the interior of the city."
-- Anil Trivedi, Danpada resident
"The roads here are so uneven that a smooth drive is something that we have given up on."
-- Hiten Tejwani, a resident of TPS3, near Lilavati hospital
"We come here often to hang out. It takes 10 minutes for us to park our cars in; the road is too narrow.
u00a0Because of the pathetic condition of the roads here, places like this will lose their charm."
-- Pawan Raheja, a regular at Candies restaurant at KC Marg
If you want to vent your anger on the state of the roads in your area, write in to us at mailbag@mid-day.com
Coastal roads
To find out guidelines to be followed while constructing roads in coastal areas, MiD DAY spoke with PK Jain, head, Flexible Pavement and Materials Department, Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), New Delhi. He said that every road-owning agency in the country is bound to follow Indian Road Congress (IRC) Manual, which is a guiding tool for them in road construction. Two manuals, IRC 37 and IRC 81, lay down the guidelines for road making in coastal areas.
Here's what he told us:
>> Coastal areas receive more rainfall. So, first priority should be that drainage system is good.
>> The material should be used with proper evaluation of traffic volume on the stretch," he said.
>> The road's top surface should be a dense graded bitumen mix. As a preventive measure, micro-surfacing should be done to extend the life of the road. (Dense graded bitumen mix is the uppermost layer in which quantity of bitumen is kept slightly more. Its ratio depends on the volume of traffic the road would cater to and the kind of aggregate used for road construction).
>> The most important requirement is the quality of the aggregate used, as it constitutes 94 per cent of the road. To avoid striping, adequate anti-stripping agent should be mixed with it.
(Anti-stripping agents are used to avoid stripping or chipping away of the road material. Fatty amine group of chemicals are used as anti-stripping material. Its quantity should be less than 1 per cent in the aggregate).
>> Concrete roads are less vulnerable to being damaged than bituminous roads. But repair work on concrete roads is extremely difficult. It is tough for agencies to cut roads frequently to carry out repairs of underground utilities.
Report by: Chetan Dubey, Basilica Gomes, Neha More, Harneet Kaur Bhusari and Rinkita Gurav.
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