Mumbai: Two weeks after the inauguration of Mrinal Tai Gore Flyover extension in Goregaon, two noise barrier panels installed along the bridge came crashing onto S V Road below early on Friday after being hit by a rashly driven dumper truck.The incident occurred near the Relief Road junction, just before the flyover’s landing. Civic officials said an FIR has been registered against the dumper driver.According to civic officials, the rear portion of the dumper truck, which was carrying murum (soil), struck the noise barrier after the vehicle rammed into the divider, causing two panels to detach and fall onto the road below. No injuries were reported as there were no pedestrians or vehicles beneath the flyover when the panels fell.A BMC official from the bridges department said, “We immediately took up the work for fixing the two barriers and completed it by evening. These barriers were specially installed to ensure that residents are not affected by the sound of moving vehicles on the bridge.”Karan Jotwani, co-founder of the Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens Association, posted about the incident on social media. “The vehicle lost control, sideswiped the median divider, and crashed violently into the opposite side of the bridge,” Jotwani said. “This caused two noise barriers to plummet onto the busy SV Road below. Because it was early morning, no one was underneath—it’s incredibly fortunate, or this could have been fatal.”On June 6, just hours after the Rs 248-crore flyover was opened to motorists, social media was flooded with complaints of “unevenness and patch-like appearances”. The BMC, however, defended the quality of work and said “stone chippings” were intentionally spread, while laying 40mm thick mastic asphalt to allow for friction and skid-resistance.
