Better planning needed for flyovers

By Tissa Jayaweera

I happened to be stuck in a traffic jam alongside the much talked about flyover being erected in Rajagriya. Politics said it would be completed ahead of schedule in December; now delayed till mid-January.

The flyover has been fabricated in a Semi Knock Down SKD form to be transported to site, assembled/installed. Usually metal structures are welded, degreased in a chemically treated dip, then dipped in a primer coating in an electronic bath, pained or the other method of sand blasting and powder coating or as in household appliances, degreased, primer-coated, painted and enameled.

The visual observation is that all units have been spray painted with no anti-corrosive undercoat. The handling of the SKD components have been so poor that the paint has scratched and corrosion is setting in. This is very obvious as all the base supports show corrosion. What is more shocking is that in certain locations where there is a mismatch, untreated shims have been placed where heavy corrosions is seen and corrosions sediment is dripping. So-called engineers of this country who are supposed to supervise seem to be blind; if this is an engineering marvel as quoted by some. Only insertion of a stainless steel bolt and tightening with a nut is required, with no damage to paint. In this type of structure pneumatic blot tighteners are used with spring washers to prevent damage to paint. It is observed that all nuts and bolts show signs of corrosion already. Is this structure to be sand blasted and painted after competition? If so, the tax-paying public will be relieved.

No such method has been planned. The nakedness and dirty underwear has been covered on sides by decorative cladding when the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka visited the site for inspection. Assume none of those present were able to notice or highlight the shortcoming as we are a country where professionals state: “Yes sir. Three bags full”. This is the reason President Premadasa was unpopular among professionals as he had the guts to call a spade a spade. It is not education that matters but intelligence.

The flyovers in Dehiwala and Nugegoda are painted grey. Nugegoda still looks okay but corrosion is setting in on the side facing the sea of the Dehiwala flyover.

For how long does the manufacturers/contractors warranty stand for these structures? Specifications say metal structures have to be repainted on a regular basis unless powder coated. Is there a maintenance schedule for flyovers of paradise? Usually planners of this country take action after the cows have left the stable. Planners of this country always make mistakes. Vehicles go over long expensive flyovers in a traffic jam and land back in the traffic jam. The quickest and fastest solution for Galle Road at Dehiwala would have been for Hill Street to cross Galle Road on a flyover joining Station Road. Now, it is to go in a traffic jam either way on the flyover and continue in the traffic jam; same for Nugegoda. Church Street crossing High Level Road would have been the cheapest and shortest option. Now, it is to go over the flyover in a traffic jam and continue in the traffic jam on High Level Road. The same will happen at Rajagriya. A flyover approx. 500 metres long, crossing Welikada/Nawala Road in a traffic jam and continuing in a traffic jam towards Parliament or the other way round to Colombo. A shorter solution would have been Old Road to Cross Parliament Road on a flyover joining Nawala Road.

All our planners fail to take shortcuts but select the most expensive option to use the tax money of the public to fill their pockets for which they do not pay taxes.

Another great failure is converting the Galle Road one way from Wellawatte to Kollupitiya. The better option would have been to maintain Galle Road as it was for buses, three wheelers, motorcycles or all slow moving traffic, and converted the Marine Drive one way from Dehiwala to wherever it may end in Colombo. Convert the Duplication Road one way heading South to wherever it may end. Marine Drive is a faster road as no unruly, do-not-care-for-road-rules buses and three wheelers use Marine Drive. Duplication Road is slow as buses, three wheelers, and motorcycles are all over the road like mosquitoes.

There is a saying “Fools learn by mistakes, the wise from others”. When will those in paradise ever learn?