Part of Amar Mahal flyover to be shut for traffic for 4 months

Part of Amar Mahal junction flyover on the Eastern Express Highway will remain closed for vehicular traffic for the next four months, Maharashtra PWD Minister Chandrakant Patil said today.
"The bridge, a key connector for the vehicular traffic of suburban Ghatkopar and Chembur, will be repaired in the four months. A part of it is damaged and it will be replaced. The bridge will remain closed partially for traffic till the repair. We will replace the damaged part of the bridge with new one," Patil said, adding that his department has provided alternative routes for vehicular movement till the repair work is done.

The north-bound lane of Amar Mahal flyover in Chembur has been closed for repairs by authorities.
The flyover was shut for motorists after the joints on the northbound carriageway started slipping and widening. The north-bound road is used by thousands of motorists daily to travel from South Mumbai to Thane, Bhiwandi, Nashik etc.
Meanwhile, former Maharashtra chief secretary Arun Bongirwar and a member of the expert committee, who are tasked with finding a solution to the issues concerning the bridge, said that vehicular traffic has not only increased in the last 22 years, but the number of heavy vehicles has also gone up.

Earlier, the maximum vehicular capacity used to be 12 tonnes, which is now increased to as high as 30 tonnes.

"These are some of the factors that are affecting the health of the bridge," they said.
Meanwhile, Patil said that the technology used for the construction of the bridge, which was built by 1995-end, was unique wherein various pieces were joined together.
Bongirwar said that the technology, Unishare, was used for the construction of this bridge.
"Similar technology was used for bridge construction in NE regions, useful for army. It can be easily constructed and its pieces can be linked," he said.