Jamshedpur: Shoddy maintenance has opened up ugly warts on the four-lane Marine Drive, the 11km expressway built by Tata Steel for a whopping Rs 120 crore only three years ago.

The bypass, primarily constructed for heavy vehicles ferrying industrial consignments to Adityapur from Mango, is also used by long-distance buses, and four-wheelers and two-wheelers that are keen to avoid city traffic.

The journey is bone-rattling, says S.K. Dey, a resident of Sonari. "Travelling is riskier after sundown when you can't see the potholes. Since it is an expressway, vehicles tend to speed and then they are forced to brake suddenly or risk losing the axle."

Dey added that on Monday, his father was injured when their car hit a crater and the elderly man's head bumped against the roof.

Heavy vehicles changing lanes to dodge warts increases manifold the threat of accidents. Dense vegetation along Marine Drive also holds safety to ransom because it hides road signs.

"A mini-van trying to avoid potholes switched lanes and hit my car earlier this week. Fortunately, I was driving at moderate speed and managed to apply brakes to avoid a major mishap," said Sukhwinder Kaur, a schoolteacher in Sonari.

The C-shaped road wends along Subernarekha river and a small stretch of Kharkai as well. Over 1,500 heavy vehicles and nearly 50 long-distance buses ply on Marine Drive daily along with a large number of four-wheelers and bikers.

Tata Steel subsidiary Jusco is responsible for maintenance. Spokesperson Rajesh Rajan promised repairs, but only after monsoon. "We are aware of commuting problems and will undertake repairs after the rains. We have though started plugging potholes along the Kadma stretch," he said.