Driving and travelling on the Western Express Highway (WEH) and the Link Road could be a hassle for at least three years from now, thanks to the work on the elevated metro corridors. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has decided to start the work for the Dahisar-DN Nagar Metro-2A and Dahisar east-Andheri east Metro-7 corridor on the WEH and Link Road, simultaneously after the monsoons.
The move is expected to further clog the already choked Swami Vivekananda (SV) Road. The deadline for completing work on both the metro corridors is 2019, right before the scheduled Lok Sabha and state Assembly elections.
Multiple roadblocks and traffic diversions are likely to come up between Dahisar and Andheri, once the work begins.
Motorists had a harrowing experience last week when the south-bound stretch of WEH was badly affected, as the public works department (PWD) was carrying out maintenance work on the Kalanagar flyover.
For those residing or travelling from the western suburbs such as Borivali, Dahisar or Mira Road, travelling could become tardy. Also, places such as Malad, Goregaon and Andheri are commercial hubs and lakhs travel to and fro here daily. “The MMRDA is preparing a traffic management plan for the same and the motorists could be diverted to SV Road for time being while the work on the Link Road and WEH is being carried out,” said a senior MMRDA official, who did not wish to be named.
However, the SV Road is already choked owing to the haphazard constructions that were undertaken over the years. “The MMRDA will also have to coordinate with the BMC which will have to remove hundreds of illegal encroachments on the SV Road that obstruct traffic movement,” said Jitendra Gupta, a transport expert.
The alignment of the Metro-2A is planned over the Link Road and the construction viaducts for the metro corridor will be on the median of the same which is expected to create a lot of problem especially, while execution of civil work is on. In case of Metro-7, the planned alignment on the WEH is on the left hand side towards Ahmedabad.
“There are some projects which are stuck due to the number of project-affected people (PAP) involved in it who will have to be rehabilitated. However, in case of Metro-2A and Metro-7, PAPs are not a major challenge. We will have to mainly counter the traffic by working nights and asking public transport authorities to run additional trains and buses to encourage people to use public transport services,” said the senior MMRDA official.
Mr Gupta, however, said running more public transport services would not help. People have to be convinced to use public transport especially, those who have swanky cars and bikes. There should be proper brainstorming, coordination and communication among the MMRDA, traffic department, BMC and the public, said Mr Gupta.
The groundwork on both the projects is expected to begin after monsoons with the MMRDA in the final stages of completing the formalities to be undertaken before the actual work starts. The finance for the civil works will be borne by the MMRDA itself and it will take a loan from the Asian Development Bank for the remaining amount. Last year, the ADB had given an in-princ iple approval to fund 36 per cent of the cost for the 16.5 km Metro-7 corridor and 44 per cent for the 18-km Metro-2A corridor. The total cost of Metro-7 and Metro-2A is Rs 6,208 and Rs 6,410 crore, respectively.
