Mumbai, Sep 9 (IANS): The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday assured that the 'Dharmaveer Swaraj Rakshak Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Mumbai Coastal Road' project is completely safe with no cracks or potholes on its surface.

Besieged by certain reports purportedly showing many potholes on which patchwork has been done to avoid a bumpy ride, the BMC said that those patches are actually a 'mastic coat' applied to prevent potholes/cracks on the Mumbai Coastal Road (MCR).

Stating that the road would be restored after the monsoon, the BMC denied allegations about the shoddy work carried out on the toll-free MCR that has led to cracks/potholes on the newest thoroughfare hugging the Arabian Sea, the first phase of which was opened a few months ago.

Contending that the project is 'safe in all respects', the BMC said it was planned after studying all aspects by a consultant having global experience, used the best and modern technology, opened for traffic in a phased manner after completing all tests and standards, and it is in a good condition.

It said that the MCR's north-bound arm (Chowpatty-Worli) was opened in July 2024 as a tarred road, but an additional coasting of mastic was applied at certain places to ensure the asphalt remains strong during the continuous and heavy rains that Mumbai witnesses.

However, the mastic coating has not been applied on the south-bound arm (Worli-Chowpatty), because it was opened in March 2024 and the asphalting got sufficient time to solidify before the monsoon, proving that there is no defect in the road construction.

The BMC also pointed out that massive beams have been set up to link the MCR with the Rajiv Gandhi Bandra Worli Sea Link, but to complete the work, a temporary route has been provided to facilitate the traffic going to the sea bridge.

This alternative route comprises a road leading to the Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan Marg in Worli at the Worli Interchange, and once the direct access to the sea bridge is completed, it will be discontinued, and hence has nothing to do with the road quality of MCR, as speculated, according to the BMC.

The social media has been agog with posts, photos and videos of cracks/potholes developing on the MCR, some have slammed and compared it with the cracks that had developed on the approach route to the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, 'Atal Setu' in June, and certain other projects.