With major projects going at snail’s pace, face traffic snarls in Thane for at least another 2 years

July 15, 2022

Thane city has had no respite from traffic snarls due to the incessant rain, potholes and ongoing construction work of major projects like Metro Lines 4, 4A and 5, Kopri Bridge widening and the widening of Mumbai-Nashik Highway.

The ongoing construction of Metro 4 at Manpada-Ghodbunder Road, one of the major projects that is going on at a snail’s pace, is a reason for traffic congestion in Thane city. (PRAFUL GANGURDE/HT PHOTO)

With the construction of various infrastructure projects worth ₹50,000Cr going at a snail’s pace, the commuters and residents in Thane might not have any respite from traffic congestion in the city for at least the next two years.

Most of these ongoing works have led to bottlenecks in the city. For over two weeks now, Thane city has had no respite from traffic snarls due to the incessant rain, potholes and ongoing construction work of major projects like Metro Lines 4, 4A and 5, Kopri Bridge widening and the widening of Mumbai-Nashik Highway.

One of the projects is the widening of Kopri Rail Over Bridge along the Eastern Express Highway, the first phase of which began in April 2018 and the second phase in 2021.

“The Central Railway is handling the work currently but it will take another year-and-a-half to complete the additional lanes of the flyover and open it to the public,” said SVR Srinivas, Commissioner, Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA).

The centre portion of the flyover is under construction, leading to a bottleneck while entering and exiting Thane from/to Mumbai. This is where the eight-lane Eastern Express Highway turns into four lanes, causing congestion.

“The construction work of the flyover adds to the traffic snarls as the bridge also has potholes on the patches where bitumen is used instead of concrete. During the peak hours over the last few days, I had to wait for almost 30-40 minutes just to cross a 10-minute distance,” said Aditi Kothari, 34, a resident of Vartak Nagar.

The other project obstructing the traffic is the Metro 4 commenced in April 2018 and 4A project commenced in 2021 along LBS Marg and Ghodbunder Road. Huge barricades are placed blocking several lanes on this road.

The Metro 4 connects Wadala to Kasarvadavli along an elevated corridor. This will then be connected to Metro 5 that connects Thane to Kalyan. “Almost all stations are pending to be built along the Ghodbunder Road and hence the barricading continues at all places. We shall start constructing the stations and target to complete the whole stretch within two-and-a-half years. However, wherever the major work is completed, we have instructed to enclose the barricades so that traffic flow is possible. Moreover, we are also maintaining that stretch of road,” added Srinivas.

“As of now, we have managed to complete 45% of Metro 4 construction while Metro 4A is also in progress. It is essential to complete the construction of Metro 4 as, without this, 4A is non-functional. After we changed the contractor, the work has picked up speed. The major issue is the depot, and land acquisition for the same in Mogharpada is in progress. We are in touch with the Thane Collector and are pursuing vigorously for the same as this plot is closer to the Metro alignment and will help speed up the work,” said Srinivas.

The construction of the Metro has led to barricades at various points in the city, thus creating bottlenecks. Moreover, the poor condition of the roads just adds to the commuter’s woes. However, when the construction of each station along this route begins for Metro, the barricading will increase, adding to the congestion in the coming months and will continue for another year,” said Satyajit Shah, civic activist, Thane.

Meanwhile, work on the Mumbai-Nashik Highway widening undertaken recently will convert the four-lane road into six lanes. The stretch from Bhiwandi towards Nashik is also a major traffic concern as this overflows into Ghodbunder Road and the interior parts of Thane city currently.

“From the existing four lanes, it will be widened to six lanes. These will be concrete roads that will cut short the travel time from an hour to 20 minutes between Thane and Bhiwandi as well,” said an officer of Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC).

Source : hindustantimes.com

To Know More About Latest Thane City News Visit Thaneweb.com