Roads simply cannot come apart within hours of repair

The mastic patches, which render the Coastal Road uneven and make for bumpy rides

Motorists are disappointed with authorities over the emergence of patches on the newly constructed Coastal Road, after a video capturing a bumpy ride from Mahalaxmi to Worli went viral on social media recently.

Netizens who shared the clip, along with photos, lamented on social media that Mumbai's ‘$2B Coastal Road Project' is already showing cracks and patches and that taxpayer money deserved better accountability. The cost of the 10.5-km stretch is Rs 13,983 crore and the project began in October 2018.

The first phase of the Coastal Road, between Worli and Nariman Point, was opened for traffic in March 2024 while the second became operational in July. The connector between Coastal Road and Bandra Worli Sea Link will open to the public today.

Generally, asphalt is laid during the non-monsoon period, and healing is done subject to traffic flow. The northbound stretch was asphalted just before the monsoon but was subjected to heavy rain. There was not enough time for healing said a BMC official, in a report.

Let us pay close attention to these complaints and if warranted, start work on repairs as soon as possible. It is disheartening if our infrastructure, at the cost of whopping amounts starts to crumble or crack within a few hours. We need to really change the narrative and move towards construction that stands the test of time of decades not just months or a year.

Leaders must understand not just the physical but psychological impact of this crumbling infra. Citizens become bitter, angry and even more cynical. There is even more loss of respect amongst citizens who will then be asking questions like what exactly their taxes are spent for? Given the effect crumbling infra has on people, this is no trivial or let-us-just-repair-and-get-done-with-it matter.