Pitfall ahead! Drive at own peril on Airport Road in Mohali

Tribune News Service

Gaurav Kanthwal

Mohali, August 3

Strewn with potholes and craters, the Airport Road in Mohali has become a death trap for commuters this monsoon season. To make matters worse, small concrete slabs are being used as barriers for under-construction shoulders at certain sections of the road, posing a serious risk to motorists.

Two giant caved-in sites at the airport roundabout, near World Trade Centre, are enough to gobble up a small vehicle. Things are particularly challenging for two-wheeler riders and cyclists, who have to brave the poor state of the road while avoiding speeding vehicles under slippery conditions.

Namita Kalia, a private schoolteacher who commutes daily from Zirakpur to Sector 79, Mohali, says: “If this is the state of affairs of an arterial road leading to the international airport, one can well imagine the priority given by the authorities to other roads in the city.”

Residents have questioned the purpose of the authorities holding monthly road safety meetings if no action is visible on the ground.

The road widening project of the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority’s (GMADA) from Chatt village to the Sector 82 railway bridge on the Airport Road, a stretch of around 6 km, is moving at a snail’s pace amid ongoing rains. Concrete slabs lined up along the road as makeshift berm have narrowed down the already congested stretch and pose a risk to motorists.

“There is high-speed traffic on the road, especially at night. Potholes, construction work, debris make it a virtual death trap for drivers who are unfamiliar with the stretch,” says another commuter.

GMADA Chief Engineer Balwinder Singh says: “There are some patches that need repair. We are working on it. Lots of pipes, sewer lines criss-cross the road, leading to frequent wear and tear. We are making a comprehensive plan to get these in order permanently.”

Poor state of affairs

If this is the state of affairs of an arterial road leading to the international airport, one can well imagine the priority given by the authorities to other roads in the city. —Namita Kalia, Schoolteacher

Working on permanent fix

We are repairing damaged sections. Lots of pipes, sewer lines criss-cross road, leading to frequent wear and tear. We are making a comprehensive plan for a permanent fix. —Balwinder Singh, GMADA Chief Engineer

Engineering defects, substandard construction material and plying of heavy vehicles are the prime reasons for the perennial problem.

Residents accuse GMADA, National Highways Authority of India and MC officials of indifferent approach towards upkeep of the stretch. One of the major causes of wear and tear is poor drainage system, leading to the creation of rainwater puddles at intersections.

The stretch is significant as those heading towards Chandigarh and Mohali from Delhi, Patiala and Bathinda take this road to reach their destination, making it a high-volume traffic zone. At night, tricity motorists criss-cross through this road at breakneck speed, leading to frequent accidents on intersections, sometimes fatal ones, often involving two-wheelers and four wheelers.

Speed limit seldom followed by motorists
60 km/hr Four-wheelers
50 km/hr Heavy vehicles
45 km/hr Two-wheelers

Prone to accidents
9 intersections — all black spots — witness frequent accidents
10 black spots, as per Mohali road safety centre study
59% fatal road accidents from 2017 to 2020
80% of the accident victims are two-wheeler riders, cyclists or pedestrians

21 km Length Sunny Enclave (Kharar) to McDonald’s (Zirakpur)
26 Major & minor junctions on road
6 km stretch with engineering fault

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