Mumbai: MMRDA promises you a smooth ride on WEH this monsoon

The fixed stretch of road near The Hub Mall in Goregaon East. Pics/Anurag Ahire

Mumbaikars, your days of suffering caused by the unending stretch of pothole-filled, uneven Western Express Highway (WEH) will end soon, possibly before the monsoon. The MMRDA has been working night shifts for the past two weeks to ensure a smooth ride for motorists and repair work is expected to be over by May 31.

State minister Aaditya Thackeray has also promised that his administration will soon wipe potholes off the face of WEH, that connects Bandra and Dahisar.

"Western Express Highway to be pothole free now, and also beautification to be carried out. @CMOMaharashtra Uddhav Thackeray ji has asked for roads and pedestrian pathways of all agencies in Mumbai to be upgraded," Thackeray tweeted on Monday.

MMRDA speeds up repair
Two weeks ago, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority sped up the work to repair the WEH, which is not only cratered but is uneven at long stretches. Motorists and office-goers have time and again complained about the poor condition of the highway.

The repair work was stuck mostly because of the construction of Dahisar-Andheri (E) Metro line 7, but now only one section of the WEH is off limits for the MMRDA for now. Restoration of the remaining section of the highway, from where the barricades have been removed, has begun. Besides, the MMRDA is also actively using its social media account to try and reach out to the public by keeping them updated about the development works and addressing their problems.

No more paver blocks
MMRDA has also begun resurfacing the tar road on WEH and are removing the paver blocks that caused immense inconvenience to the motorists. The paver blocks that made the road uneven was the major cause of traffic jams at junctions on WEH.

A major chunk of the paver blocks were removed from on the west side of JVLR junction a few days back. MMRDA has also prepared a plan to give the WEH a facelift and has appointed global consultants to study the existing shortcomings of the highway. A project estimated to cost R100 crore has been planned for the same.

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