Mumbai: Skywalk to bring relief to those commuting through Dharavi

Come monsoon, the woes of motorists and pedestrians passing through Dharavi could soon be at an end. At present, pedestrians going from Mahim East to Dharavi have to face a lot of problems crossing the busy T-junction on the 60 Feet road, in turn creating long traffic jams for motorists there.

The skywalk will start from the east side of Mahim station, go along Mahim Fatak road and will pass above the 60 feet road-junction, ending about 100 metres ahead of it

To relieve the pressure on the junction, the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) is currently in the process of building a Rs 20-crore skywalk which is expected to be completed by monsoon. Hundreds of people cross this intersection every minute, slowing down vehicular movement on the road; this gets even worse in the evening rush hours, when the traffic jams can stretch as long as half a kilometre. But the new 1.5-km skywalk could change all this.

Work on the Rs 20-crore project began a year ago, and the piers, as well as the framework for the skywalk have already been installed. Pic/Atul Kamble

Confirming the same MHADA vice president and CEO S S Zhende said, "We are confident of completing the work at the earliest so that pedestrians can walk safe and hassle free. The skywalk will also help in solving the issue of traffic jams that take place because of the pedestrian crossing at the busy junction."

There have been many cases of accidents on this road in the past, and locals have long demanded that a skywalk be built. At first, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) was approached, but the body turned down the project.

Former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan then asked MHADA to construct the skywalk. Work began a year ago, and the piers, as well as the framework for the skywalk have already been installed.