07 May,2025 10:26 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Additional civic commissioner Abhijit Bangar Bangar reviewed the ongoing road concretisation works across western suburbs late on Tuesday night.
With the final phase of concrete road-laying work set to be completed by May 20, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has directed the agencies concerned to increase the machinery and workers necessary for the work.
Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijit Bangar has also directed the officials concerned that waste disposal be carried out in all the project areas.
Bangar reviewed the ongoing road concretisation works across western suburbs late on Tuesday night. He visited the Central Avenue in Santacruz, Model Town Road in Andheri, Marve Road near Orlem Church in Malad, Maharashtra Nagar and the old housing board layout in Borivali, and the Samta Nagar Road in Kandivali.
During the inspection, he emphasised the officials to complete the work on a timely basis and by ensuring accurate cutting of concrete joints to extend the durability of the roads. He also directed that both large and small machines with diamond blades be used for this process. Smaller machines are to be used in lanes and narrower roads for precision, said Bangar.
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On the Marve Road stretch in Malad (W) - where expansion joints were filled using polysulphide instead of bitumen - Bangar observed that as the material is grey in colour and dries easily, it blends well with concrete and is cost-effective. He called for a feasibility study on the wider usage of polysulphide for the work.
Meanwhile, Bangar has set a deadline of 31 May for the completion of the drain strengthening work at Gautam Buddha Marg, where road concretisation is also underway. It was also suggested to use the early-strength concrete to save time. However, a verification on this has been sought from experts from the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B).
In Kandivali, a curing compound was added to Dry Lean Concrete (DLC) for faster setting. Bangar has asked IIT-B to evaluate this experiment, too.
The additional civic commissioner further proposed replacing iron gratings on stormwater chambers with Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) alternatives to prevent theft. FRP is both durable and stable even under heavy water flow, he noted, citing advice from IIT-B professors.
At locations where concretisation is complete - such as Borivali's Maharashtra Nagar and Kandivali's Samta Nagar - Bangar instructed that final works such as thermoplastic road markings, cat eyes, signboards, traffic safety symbols, and junction grids be expedited so the roads can be opened to traffic soon.
The inspection team included IIT-Bombay Professor P Vedagiri, Chief Engineer (Roads and Traffic) Girish Nikam, Deputy Chief Engineer (Western Suburbs) Sanjay Borse, and representatives from quality control agencies.
