Nagpur: Barely 24 hours after a fuel tanker rammed into a newly installed height-barrier on Shaheed Gowari Flyover near Rahate Colony Square, another reckless crash occurred on Wednesday afternoon — this time involving a dumper truck from the Zero Mile end, again smashing into a freshly erected structure meant to keep such heavy vehicles off the flyover.
The back-to-back crashes have sparked outrage among traffic officials and city commuters alike, with many questioning whether Nagpur’s roads are increasingly being hijacked by “habitual offenders” behind the wheels of oversized vehicles.
Gold Rate
06 June 2025
The Wednesday incident unfolded around 1:30 pm, when the dumper — ignoring clear signage in both Marathi and English banning heavy vehicles — tried to force its way onto the elevated flyover. In doing so, it crashed into the height-barrier, damaging it and triggering a traffic snarl that lasted for hours. Traffic police rushed to the scene, but the driver managed to reverse and flee before action could be taken.
This comes just a day after a 23,000-litre petrol tanker collided with the same type of structure on the opposite end of the flyover. That barrier too had only been installed earlier that morning.
Authorities, including the Public Works Department (PWD), are left frustrated. “We keep installing these barriers. But drivers keep breaking them. This is not just damage to infrastructure — it’s reckless endangerment,” said an official requesting anonymity.
This week’s double whammy has made one thing clear: signage and physical deterrents alone are failing. With Rahate Colony’s damaged barrier removed and Morris College T-Point’s one now battered, heavy vehicles may once again rule the flyover — undermining its design purpose and exposing other motorists to danger.
Worse still, this is not a one-off. Wednesday’s crash marks the third such incident on this stretch in less than a year.
PWD engineers are now reassessing the visibility, placement, and durability of the barriers. Meanwhile, traffic police are exploring tech-driven solutions such as automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras and on-the-spot fines for violators.
Nagpur’s road users are left wondering: If high-visibility signs, rumble strips, and physical barriers aren’t enough to stop errant drivers — what will?
Until an answer is found, city flyovers may continue to be the unwilling battleground for steel, speed, and stubbornness.
