Makarba Overbridge Barricades Raise Fire Response Question: Will Fire Engines Also Have To Take A Detour?

For an ordinary motorist, a U-turn is an inconvenience. For a fire engine racing to an emergency, every extra turn can mean precious time.

That is the question now looming over the controversial traffic arrangement at Ahmedabad’s Makarba railway overbridge, where authorities have barricaded all four roads at the intersection following the massive congestion witnessed after the bridge’s inauguration.

The newly constructed overbridge on the Ahmedabad-Botad railway line was inaugurated by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on September 24 with the aim of improving connectivity between Sarkhej-Juhapura and SG Highway.

But within hours, the bridge became the centre of a major traffic snarl.

And the administration’s answer on Friday was to close the four-way intersection and divert vehicles through longer routes and U-turns.

That has raised a particularly serious question: what happens when the vehicle that needs to cross the barricades is not a commuter, but a fire engine responding to an emergency?

Prahladnagar Fire Station Is Right Beside The Junction

The concern assumes greater significance because the Prahladnagar fire station is located immediately beside the four roads affected by the new barricading arrangement.

For motorists, the diversion means taking a longer route.

But fire engines do not have the luxury of making unnecessary detours when responding to a fire, rescue call or other emergency.

The key question for the authorities is therefore straightforward: has the barricading arrangement been designed to ensure that fire tenders can move out of the station quickly in every direction?

If not, a traffic-control measure introduced to prevent accidents could create an emergency-access problem of its own.

Will A Fire Tender Also Be Asked To Take A U-Turn?

Under the new arrangement, motorists travelling from Corporate Road towards Prahladnagar have to turn left, travel ahead and take a U-turn.

Those travelling from Prahladnagar towards Corporate Road are also required to follow a longer route beneath the bridge and take a U-turn.

The arrangement may be workable for regular traffic, but it raises an uncomfortable practical question for emergency services.

Will a fire tender leaving Prahladnagar fire station also have to follow the same diversion?

And if emergency vehicles are given an exception, where is the dedicated opening or access point through the barricades?

These are not merely questions of traffic convenience. They go to the heart of emergency response planning around the junction.

A Traffic Fix That Needs An Emergency Access Plan

The Traffic JCP said that following the bridge’s inauguration, traffic and accident-related concerns emerged and police personnel were immediately deployed.

A joint site inspection was subsequently conducted by traffic police, AMC officials and the local MLA.

Authorities decided to close the particular road at the point where the bridge opens and introduce a temporary “capsule system”, the Traffic JCP said, to prevent accidents.

But while the focus has been on controlling vehicle movement, the presence of the nearby fire station raises another issue that needs to be addressed publicly.

Where does an emergency vehicle go when the normal road is barricaded?

The Bridge Was Supposed To Save Time. Now Time Is The Question.

The irony surrounding the Makarba overbridge is becoming difficult to ignore.

A bridge built to improve connectivity has been followed by the closure of the junction.

A route intended to make commuting easier has introduced U-turns and detours.

And now, because a fire station sits beside the barricaded roads, there is another question that cannot simply be diverted:

If a fire breaks out, will the fire tender get a clear road — or will it too have to take the detour?

Because a traffic jam can wait. A fire cannot.