Motorists put up with traffic snarls in Thane

July 07, 2022

Thursday was a nightmare for commuters travelling in and out of Thane city as there was choc-a-bloc traffic for over nine hours along the stretch from Majiwada towards Mumbai and Nashik; Motorists often have to put up with traffic snarls in Thane

Thursday was a nightmare for commuters travelling in and out of Thane city as there was choc-a-bloc traffic for over nine hours along the stretch from Majiwada towards Mumbai and Nashik.

For a resident of Ghodbunder, getting out of the city either to reach Mumbai or Navi Mumbai takes not less than 45 minutes to an hour, courtesy the traffic congestion on roads. According to the residents, the potholes and the ongoing Metro construction are two of the major reasons for the bottlenecks in various parts of the city.

“A distance that can be covered in half-an-hour to reach Rajnoli Naka from Majiwada took me two hours on Thursday afternoon. This was not even the morning or evening peak hour. There was slow-moving traffic all the way and I had to reach home in time before my child returned from school,” said Nandita Khanna, 37, resident of Tata Amantra in Bhiwandi.

Datta Kamble, DCP (Traffic), Thane, said, “The heavy downpour in the last few days led to potholes and areas where the bitumen and concrete roads coincide becoming uneven. As there are various authorities like the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), Public Works Department (PWD) and Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) managing roads across the city, we are in talks with all the authorities to ensure roads are fixed at the earliest. As the rain has subsided, some of the authorities have planned to work overnight as well. However, until then, we have our traffic wardens and officers deployed additionally to man the traffic.”

The Eastern Express Highway had a 45-minute delay all through the day on Thursday. Similar delay of half-an-hour was noted from Majiwada towards Patlipada. Ghodbunder Road experiences the most traffic snarls.

“There is a perennial jam at the Anand Nagar Signal as there are potholes. Vehicles move slowly. Moreover, there is a bottleneck during peak hours, adding to the traffic congestion. This is a crucial road heading towards Gujarat, hence traffic keeps on increasing throughout the day,” said a traffic police officer.

Parts of Ghodbunder Road fall under PWD. “We have initiated filling of potholes along the Ghodbunder stretch. We have made available 25kg bags of cold mix and our team will fill the potholes that appear after heavy downpour. We have deployed a mobile patch unit wherein the concerned engineers only have to mix it with water and fill the potholes,” said Sunil Patil, Executive Engineer of PWD.

“The Metro construction work at various spots in the city coupled with pothole-riddled roads has made commuting difficult. There is a bottleneck between Suraj Water Park and DMart that often leads to a traffic snarl. The middle portion of the road has Metro construction work going on, and with the service road on one side, there is a patch that narrows into a single lane creating a bottleneck,” said Mayank Naik, 44, resident of Hiranandani Estates who manages to reach Thane from Ghatkopar in less than an hour but takes more than hour inside Thane city itself while returning home.

Commuters entering Thane through the Eastern Express Highway over the one-year-old Kopri Bridge are also experiencing traffic issues. The Metro construction work going on from Eastern Express Highway to Gaimukh also blocks a major part of the road.

“We have barricaded the areas that have Metro construction work going on and ensure that there is enough space for vehicular movement. Moreover, we are in touch with the traffic department and in case of any girder launch, we conduct them during the night leading to hardly any inconvenience to vehicular movement,” said an officer from MMRDA.

Meanwhile, TMC has set up ward-wise teams to fill the potholes. “The commissioner has set up a ward-level team and given instructions to identify potholes and fill them up at the earliest,” said Sandeep Malvi, additional commissioner, TMC. Moreover, the civic body will also soon conduct a survey of potholes.

Source : www.hindustantimes.com

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