Aarey bridge repair adds to traffic woes

Mumbai: With the ongoing repair work of Aarey bridge, citizen complaints of excessive traffic jams near the area and on the Jogeshwari Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR) have cropped up. The state government has set January as the deadline for the restoration work. However, residents near the area have alleged that the repair work is being carried out at a snail pace. “We are suffering on a daily basis as many commuters from western suburbs have now resorted to the JVLR in the absence of the bridge,” said Tasneem Sheikh, a resident from near JVLR.

When contacted, an officer who is supervising the repairs, on the condition of anonymity, said, “The state minister of housing, Ravindra Waikar, has given a deadline of 15 January, 2018 for completion of the bridge’s repair work. We will complete the repair work by then.”     

Experts have asserted that the Aarey bridge collapse, metro VII work and the regular exhibitions in Nesco Complex have led to a bottleneck situation in the JVLR. Parents from residential societies around the area shared with The Asian Age, their daily traffic woes due to the traffic diversion. “My daughters study schools that are hardly 6-7 km away and yet it takes more than 2 hours for them to come back home from school,” said Varnika Agarwal, resident from Oberoi Splendor, JVLR.

“When a politician passes from the area, the traffic is regulated effectively. Why can’t they do it for the public?” asks Ajay Masand, another resident.