Borivli: Every road, lane in Chikuwadi is dug up, trapping a hospital and a school in between

Only one lane is operational on the Link Road (northbound). Pics/Nimesh Dave

Multiple roads being dug up simultaneously in the Chikuwadi area of Borivli have created a practical maze for residents, motorists, and pedestrians. The situation has become so dire that locals prefer travelling 5 to 6 extra kilometres through Gorai to reach Chikuwadi instead of directly entering via Link Road, just to avoid the mess caused by blocked roads and dug-up lanes. The Shimpoli Telephone Exchange signal has become the epicentre of the traffic chaos resulting from the roadwork.

A biker is forced to use the footpath at Kanti Park Road

Telephone Exchange Signal

This signal, a four-road junction, has become a hotspot for traffic congestion as three out of four roads at the junction have been dug up simultaneously. This leads to massive traffic jams, especially during peak hours. Adding to the chaos, an independent excavation site has been dug up at the intersection, exacerbating the gridlock.

BEST staff move barricades and try manage traffic on Kanti Park Road, on Tuesday

Link Road

The New Link Road, a major arterial road connecting Kandivli, Borivli, and Dahisar, has been dug up on both the northbound and southbound stretches at the Shimpoli Telephone Exchange signal. On the northbound stretch below the Shimpoli Metro Station, two lanes have been dug up, leaving just one lane for vehicles. Similarly, one lane on the southbound stretch has also been excavated, leaving only two lanes open. This arterial road witnesses heavy traffic during peak hours, further aggravating the situation.

Both eastbound and westbound roads dug up in Chikuwadi; (right, in circle) biker forced to use the footpath on Kanti Park Road. Pic/Nimesh Dave

Sandesh Gosavi, a local resident, said, "When the northbound road wasn't dug up, it used to take a maximum of 5 minutes to reach the Shimpoli Telephone Exchange signal from RM Bhattad Road. Now, it takes 15-20 minutes during non-peak hours and 20-25 minutes during peak hours to cover this 500-metre stretch. Now they've also started digging the southbound road, which is worsening the chaos."

Kanti Park Road

The eastbound section of Kanti Park Road, leading to the Shimpoli signal, has been fully dug up, forcing traffic onto the westbound road. This creates a bottleneck, especially when large vehicles or BEST buses from opposite directions meet, often bringing traffic to a standstill.

The ongoing concreting work on Chikuwadi Road near Phoenix Hospital

A local said, "When two large vehicles or buses meet on this stretch, it creates a mega gridlock, halting all movement. We see drivers and conductors stepping out of their vehicles to clear the congestion. A 300-metre stretch feels like a kilometre-long ordeal due to heavy traffic."

A BEST conductor said, "This has become a new normal for us. If two of our own vehicles come face to face on this road, there is no other way but to get down from the bus and clear out the congestion so that the traffic starts moving again." The road is also dug up on the eastbound lane again at 400 metres distance from Shimpoli Signal.

Shimpoli Road

One lane each on the eastbound and westbound sides has been dug up on Shimpoli Road, leaving only one lane for traffic in each direction. This road leads to Shimpoli Telephone Exchange signal, adding to chaos.

BEST staff gets down from bus to manage the traffic on Kanti Park road on Tuesday. Pics/Nimesh Dave

Independent dug-up spot

In addition to the incoming and outgoing roads being dug up, an independent excavation site has been created on the northern end of the Link Road at the junction, further worsening traffic congestion.

Chikuwadi Road

Chikuwadi Road has been excavated at two locations. One section has been completely closed to traffic, while the eastbound section from Phoenix Hospital to the closed portion has also been dug up.

Complete traffic closure

The section where the Link Road meets RM Bhattad Road is entirely closed to traffic, forcing vehicles to reroute and adding to the congestion at the Shimpoli signal.

Eastbound dug-up section

The eastbound stretch near Phoenix Hospital has been excavated, further aggravating traffic on the Shimpoli Telephone Exchange Road. A local said, "There is no planning in this development. There's a hospital nearby, and critical patients can't reach it without getting stuck in the Shimpoli traffic. Every second counts in emergencies."

PM Kulkarni Road

The southbound stretch of PM Kulkarni Road has also been dug up. This road leads to Shimpoli Road, eventually connecting to the Shimpoli Telephone Exchange signal.

A way around chaos

Bharti Dave, a teacher and Chikuwadi resident said, "Earlier, it took just 20 minutes to travel the 2.5 km from Borivli Station to my home near Padma Nagar. Now, I take a 5.5 km detour via LT Road, Don Bosco High School, and Maxus Theatre Gorai." "We're not against development, but this isn't the way to do it. All roads shouldn't be dug up together," she added.

Pedestrians affected

During gridlocks at the Shimpoli signal, bikers often ride on footpaths, endangering pedestrians. Prashik Kamble, a local, said, "The other day, a pedestrian narrowly escaped an accident when another pedestrian pulled them away from a speeding biker on the footpath."

Traffic police speak

Senior PI Lokre, MHB Colony traffic division
Senior PI Lokre of the MHB Colony traffic division said, "We station wardens at the junction to manage the chaos. The simultaneous digging of roads is causing traffic issues. We're working on diversions and have sent letters to BEST for alternative bus routes until the roadwork is completed."

BMC responds
Sandhya Nandekar, assistant municipal commissioner, R-Central Ward,

"This falls under the jurisdiction of the chief engineer for Roads and not the ward." mid-day attempted to contact Manishkumar Patel, chief engineer, Roads, but he was unavailable for comment.

Activist Speaks
Gopal Javeri Civic activist

"Start and end dates for projects should be displayed at work sites, along with traffic diversions and safety directions. GPS mapping of ongoing projects could alert citizens to avoid such areas."