An open divider cut on Ahmedabad’s Makarba Corporate Road is being used by two-wheeler and moped riders to make illegal U-turns towards Prahladnagar, creating a serious collision risk with fast-moving vehicles approaching from the highway side, according to a report by Gujarat Samachar Digital.
The opening allows motorists to avoid a prescribed 200-metre detour. Under the current traffic arrangement, vehicles travelling from Corporate Road towards Prahladnagar are required to turn towards S.G. Highway and take a U-turn after travelling approximately 200 metres. Several riders are instead crossing directly through the gap in the divider.
The report states that the divider was opened during road-related excavation work carried out by the municipal authorities. Although the work was later completed, the opening was reportedly not closed. Local residents cited in the report said motorists began using the gap because it offered a shorter route to the Prahladnagar side.
Gujarat Samachar Digital said its team inspected the location and observed multiple two-wheelers and mopeds turning through the opening towards Prahladnagar Road. At the same time, vehicles travelling from the highway side towards the Makarba bridge and Prahladnagar were moving at speed along the road, creating the possibility of a serious crash when the movements intersect.
The latest safety concern follows earlier problems associated with the Makarba bridge connecting Makarba with Corporate Road. According to the report, the bridge had faced controversy from the time of its inauguration because it initially ended at the Corporate Road junction. That arrangement was linked to repeated accidents and severe traffic congestion at the intersection.
The report further states that the traffic police and the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation later attempted to address the junction problem by introducing a capsule traffic system. The current divider opening has, however, created a new conflict point within the revised movement pattern, as motorists are bypassing the designated route to save a short distance.
The immediate risk is not limited to rule-breaking by individual riders. The open cut has become an informal connection between opposing traffic movements, allowing vehicles to enter the path of faster traffic without a controlled turning facility. The reported behaviour also indicates how small gaps in road design and maintenance can quickly become established travel routes when formal access requires an additional loop.
The report attributes the demand for the shortcut to the 200-metre detour, but it does not provide traffic counts, crash data or an official explanation for why the divider opening remains unsealed. It also does not report any confirmed collision at the location linked to the current cut.
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and traffic police are expected to address the opening before a serious accident occurs. The key immediate action identified in the report is the closure of the illegal cut and restoration of the divider so that vehicles follow the designated U-turn arrangement.
