The newly opened Phase-1 stretch of the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR) extension in Mumbai, built at a cost of Rs 645 crore, is already riddled with potholes exposing the shoddy work carried out by engineers and contractors. The SCLR is an elevated corridor meant to cut travel time between Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and Western Express Highway (WEH). The 3.8-km extension bridge, which starts near Kapadia Junction and ends on the Western Express Highway (WEH) near Vakola junction was opened to the public on February 10, 2023, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Extending from Kurla to Vakola flyover, it covers Vakola junction, University junction, BKC junction, MTNL junction and BKC-LBS flyover. Commuters who frequently use the flyover have criticised the authorities for the poor-quality work. One of them even posted a video on Twitter pointing out the deplorable “condition of newly constructed flyover from Kurla to Santacruz through the Mumbai university,” tagging the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and the Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Office. The video shows how the recent rains have washed away the bitumen on the road, leaving it full of puddles akin to poorly maintained roads. A motorist is also seen trying to weave his way through the potholes. The project was executed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and was built by well-known infrastructure development company J Kumar which is also part of various other projects initiated by the MMRDA, including Metro projects. The project management consultant (PMC) appointed was Padeco India Ltd, another leading private agency. The revised cost of the SCLR Extension project Phase-1 was Rs 645 crore, nearly Rs 200 crore more than the earlier estimate of over Rs 449 crore. The initial deadline of the project was October 2019, but it was completed only by February this year due to various reasons, including pending permissions to block traffic and the Covid-19 pandemic. Phase-2 of the SCLR Extension project is, meanwhile, under construction. As per an official, the MMRDA has decided to construct a cable-stayed bridge at Vakola nullah near Hans Burg Marg. As the cable-stayed portion is not ready, the spans for phase-2 works cannot be erected yet.
