MUMBAI: Commuters who use the Mumbai-Ahmedabad National Highway NH48 to travel to Gujarat, Delhi and the rest of north India and back have been facing a relentless nightmare due to traffic for years. To increase the longevity of this national highway and put a full stop to the traffic menace, the government kicked off a "white topping" or concrete overlay initiative in Dec 2023.
This decision, say road experts, has only increased the snarls which exhaust commuters due to constantly sitting in traffic for hours and also damage the vehicles due to uneven roads, cracks, illegal parking of trucks, encroachers breaking the crash barriers to set up eateries, no proper exits for service roads, wrong-side driving, especially by ready-mix concrete (RMC) trucks, and blockage of culverts which carry rainwater.
Currently, white-topping is being done on the 121km stretch from Dahisar to Achhad near Gujarat border, with a spend of around Rs 550 crore by Nirmal Build Infra Pvt Ltd. This stretch has already experienced several accidents causing loss of lives and revenue, but no corrective measures are being taken, alleged activists. While National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) officials have reassured commuters the works will be complete in the next four months, before the April 2025 deadline, Mumbai Mirror takes a look at the issues that commuters say they are currently facing .
Potholed service roads
Service roads are pothole-ridden and without asphalt near Vasai Phata, Nalasopara Phata and Virar Phata. Hundreds of trucks and other heavy vehicles ply these roads daily. As the trucks maneuver these potholes, they slow down, resulting in bumper-to-bumper traffic. These potholes have to be filled by the Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation or the NHAI. One traffic cop said they have been requesting the authorities to repair the stretch, but nothing has been done to improve the situation yet.
Highway exit to service roads
Most of the highway or service road exits aren't smooth. There is a gap between the highway and the service road or in some places one can see tar being simply put on a road covering a few metres, on which only one vehicle can pass. These vehicles have to drive very slow due to the fear of toppling, which causes long queues on the highway to take exits. These exits are even more dangerous for two-wheelers. There is more reason for concern at night as due to lack of lights around, one can miss the exit and drive into the gap between the highway and the service road. "Work on white-topping of service roads is in progress too. Smooth entry and exits will be provided after the white-topping. Wherever white topping is not yet complete, bituminous ramps are provided for ascent/descent of vehicles," said
Sumit Kumar, manager (technical), NHAI PIU Thane.
Uneven roads, cracks and bumps
The entire stretch has a lot of uneven roads and bumps at several spots. At one place, a dried mound of cement was seen which can skid two-wheelers. At several places, on the edge of the road, sandbags were missing and at others there were sandbags without reflectors, which can confuse drivers. There was loose gravel on some spots. "Multiple teams are working to fix any localised failures/damages in the white-topping and all defects will be attended too shortly," said Kumar. He said the project is within the timeline and the contractor will repair all these patches within 2 months.
Lack of placards, signage, human guides
Another important aspect ignored by the NHAI is the absence of warning or diversion signboards near construction sites. A few spots had no boards at all, leaving commuters confused about whether to use the road or not. "Signboards are being provided at construction zones where work is in progress or diversion is provided. Also, regular signages are deficient on the stretch and a detailed signage plan for the entire stretch has been sent to Delhi for approval (approximately Rs 27 crore)," said Kumar.
Terror of wrong-side driving
RMC trucks are infamous for wrong-side driving on NH48 to save on time and petrol and avoid going to the next underpass and take a turn to travel on the other side of the highway. They are often seen driving on the wrong side near Maljipada, Sasunavghar and Versova Creek (also known as Bhayandar or Vasai creek bridge). "We have already taken up this issue several times with the commissioner of police of Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar (MBVV) and the superintendent of police, highway state police, for strict action against the defaulters," said Kumar.
Damaged, absent metal crash barriers
These barriers prevent cattle or stray animals from landing on the highway, stop encroachments and reduce the impact of an accident and casualties. However, there were few crash barriers on NH48. Dhabas and eateries declared illegal by VVCMC have broken these crash barriers to make way for their customers and to expand their illegal business. Also, at the service road exits before flyovers, there are no crash barriers. This may cause a vehicle to topple on the service road in case of misjudgment by the driver. "Metal crash barriers will be installed at such locations and work will commence soon. Metal crash barriers across approximately 70km are within the scope of white topping project, said Kumar.
Blocked culverts
One of the culverts between Virar and Nalasopara was blocked due to haphazard dumping of debris and sand. Such culverts carry water from the mountains during monsoon, to the other side of the highways, into the forest area, thus making sure that there is no waterlogging on the highway. Instances of water-logging on NH48 have increased as there has been an increase in illegal destruction of mangroves and forest at the same time.
There are illegal garages and unauthorised shops that occupy the service roads, blocking roads and creating traffic issues. There are unauthorised bus stands where interstate buses stop, which is risky at night for commuters.
Transport activists speak
"To begin with, no guards have been posted for guidance, and there are illegal exits. RMC trucks, tankers and luxury buses are often seen driving on the wrong side of the highway. This causes accidents and also long traffic snarls. I appeal to the highways minister
Nitin Gadkari to visit this stretch of NH48 and test samples of the material used. The definite conclusion would be that the work is substandard. If all these issues are not taken seriously, we may be forced to agitate very soon
--
Sushant Patil, chairman, Bhumiputra Foundation, Vasai
"A lot of commuters have lost their lives due to inefficient planning and execution. Even though the authorities are aware of all the issues concerning this white-topping activity and others such as illegal parking and encroachment, no concrete or long-term action has been taken
-- Harbans Singh Nanade, Highway activist
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