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Six-foot wide break in the median on flyover has led to a lot of accidentsCountless notifications sent and received, numerous complaints made to the civic authorities, several failed attempts to fix the damage, paintings by a famous artist, and now — the latest feather in its cap — an entire Kannada feature film revolving around it; seems like the perilous and illegal U-turn on Richmond Road flyover in the heart of the city has truly evolved into a landmark of sorts for Bengaluru.But the question is, what else will it take for people to stop breaking the median and for officials to permanently fix it? Being one of the earliest flyovers built in the city, it was constantly at the receiving end of brickbats over the years when officials initially inaugurated it as a one-way, then reversed the flow of traffic, and finally ended up making it a permanent two-way.That it is riddled with potholes is stating the obvious, but most of the negative attention Richmond Road flyover has received of late is due to a gaping six-foot wide break in the median and the haphazardly strewn concrete blocks around it, courtesy errant motorists with a sheer disregard for traffic rules. This allows autos, goods vehicles, and even small cars to make unlawful U-turns in order to switch lanes in the middle of the flyover.For head constable Nanjundaiah attached to the Ulsoorgate traffic police, setting the stones in order twice a day has been incorporated into his routine.“It will soon be a year since I submitted a report about the median to my seniors that was passed on to the BBMP officials. We strongly suggested it be made permanent and unbreakable, but it has fallen on deaf ears. I spend an hour or more each day realigning the blocks around 8.30am, and then again around 4:30pm, just before peak hour sets in. Many a time, heavy vehicles such as buses and goods autos have broken down and gotten stuck after accidentally running over the blocks, causing horrendous pile-ups,” says Nanjundaiah.Accidents, though minor and non-fatal, are not uncommon either. When darkness shrouds the top of the flyover, the break in the median becomes more dangerous than ever. And that is exactly what Pawan Kumar, director of U-turn, sought to highlight in his mystery/horror flick which hit theatres on Friday.“I wanted people to understand that even seemingly simple issues can have dire consequences. Knowing that it would not reach as many people in the form of a documentary or regular video, I deliberately wrote a script with a supernatural element to engage the audience and make them understand that even such everyday occurrences should not be ignored. Someone told me that a highly-educated man felt very guilty after watching the film because he too had apparently moved the blocks and taken the U-turn a few times. We must wake up and become more sensitised about such issues in our city,” Kumar tells Mirror.But what does all this spell for the flyover? Will motorists’ woes finally be fixed? BBMP chief engineer of the major roads and infrastructure department, KT Nagaraj, says the contract to resurface and install a cast-in-situ (or permanent) median on the flyover will be finalised within a few days.“No matter how many times we realign the median, two-wheeler riders invariably manage to break it. Another issue is the width of the lane from Richmond Road going towards Lalbagh Road; casting a permanent median requires a fair amount of space, which would further lessen the carriageway of this lane. We will have to cast a thin, permanent median for this, and it will be completed soon,” Nagaraj adds.