The Sion-Panvel highway will remain closed for seven hours from 11 pm to 6 am from Thursday, March 7 to Friday, March 8. The restrictions are necessary to carry out repairs to the Sanpada Footbridge (FOB), which was damaged in an accident last month.
The Public Works Department (PWD) has informed the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) and the traffic police about the upcoming traffic restrictions. For repairs, vehicles going from Vashi to Panvel will be diverted to Palm Beach Road before returning to the Sion-Panvel highway.
On February 2, between 2 am and 3 am, a truck hit the footbridge, damaging its steel structure and railings. An inspection by PWD engineers on February 9 found that several parts of the bridge were broken. Following the incident, pedestrian access on the bridge was closed as the authorities considered the structure to be a safety hazard.
"The FOB is dangerous for citizens and repair work is required to ensure public safety," an NMMC official said.
In January, a tragic incident took place on the Sion-Panvel highway when a speeding Honda City heading from Panvel to Mumbai hit two auto-rickshaws parked on the roadside.
The accident took place near Juinagar railway station in the early hours of Wednesday, killing the rickshaw driver who was sleeping in it. Both the rickshaws were badly damaged. Nerul police have arrested the driver of the Honda City and registered a case against him.