Rough rides ahead

The downpours will be bringing with them the customary traffic mayhem. But brace yourself for especially rough rides this year, as the city is still in the throes of heavy infrastructural work

With the monsoons round the corner, motorists in the city are fearing the worstu00a0-- water logging, accident-prone streets, and traffic congestion. But brace yourselves for the really bad bit of newsu00a0-- the city's traffic woes may be particularly intensified this year, owing to the fact that heavy construction work is underway at arterial junctions across the length and breadth of the city. MiD DAY gives you a detailed account of the different infrastructural projects that may possibly make your commutes in the city streets this season nothing short of a prolonged nightmare. Brace yourself for a few hellish rides.

Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar (VAG) Metro Rail Route
The most crucial project underway in the city is the construction of the 11.07 Km Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar (VAG) metro rail corridor. Its completion is eagerly anticipated by Mumbaikars, because it will facilitate connectivity between the eastern and the western suburbs. At present, however, its construction has thrown traffic in the city awry, causing great inconvenience to motorists. JP Road, which connects Versova with Andheri at the SV Road Junction, is an arterial road on this stretch, as commuters traveling from areas like Versova, Seven Bungalows, Four Bungalows,Lokhandwala and Adarsh Nagar must traverse this passage in order to reach the Andheri (West) Railway station.

However, construction of a Metro car depot at the Indian Oil Junction, as well as metro stations at Seven Bungalows and Four Bungalows, is in progress. As a result, the JP Road stretch has been closed to vehicular traffic, and motorists who wish to reach the Andheri Station must take a roundabout route via Amboli or Juhu Galli.
Expert Speak
An official from MMRDA said, "Motorists will be greatly inconvenienced in the monsoon, due to the ongoing construction of the VAG corridor. There is little chance that the closed section of JP Road will be opened during the monsoon. To compound the situation, construction of the Barfiwala flyover is in progress, and the traffic at Juhu Galli has been partially closed off, allowing only one car to pass at a time." The VAG construction work may also hamper the progress of traffic moving from Andheri (East) towards Ghatkopar. But commuters can thank the MMRDA for small mercies- the development body will be opening the northern arm of the Barfiwala Flyover, which crosses Andheri's busy SV Road Junction, in the month of June, just days ahead of the monsoon.
Details
Length- 11.07 km
Project started- 2008
Projected date of completion- August 2011
Delay
The MMRDA's projected date of completion has now been delayed till Diwali.
Cost: Rs 2,356 crore
Status- 85 per cent work completed. The civic work will be completed between July and August 2011, after which trial runs will be conducted.
Benefits
a) Better connectivity: It will be the first rail-route to connect the western suburbs with the eastern suburbs of the city. The corridor will also provide rail-based access to the MIDC, SEEPZ and other commercial development zones.
b) Reduction of travel-time: The entire 11.07 km stretch of the corridor will be covered in 21 minutes. Vehicles traveling the stretch via road take as long as 90 minutes to cover the same distance.
c) Lower pollution levels: With the opening of the metro route, fewer motorists will use their cars on the stretch. This will, in turn, reduce vehicular pollution.

Milan Subway Road Over Bridge (ROB)
Ever since its construction, the Milan Subway has been plagued by intense water-logging during the monsoons. Residents of Santacruz and Vile Parle have been particularly inconvenienced. In order to resolve this issue, MMRDA started construction work of a 700-metre long ROB in the region, at cost of over Rs 40 crore. The construction, which began in 2008, was scheduled to be completed by May. However, the project has been delayed owing to a disagreement between MMRDA and the Western Railways over the design of the bridge passing over the railway track. This means that water-logging will plague commuters in the stretch this monsoon too.

Expert Speak
According to MMRDA Joint Project Director Dilip Kawatkar, "It is true that the project will get delayed by a month. But now we have sped up the work, as all the necessary approvals have been taken from the Railway authorities."
Details
MILAN ROAD OVER BRIDGE
Length- 700 metres
Project Started- 2008
Projected date of completion- May 2011
Delay- According to the revised schedule, the project will be completed by August- September 2011
Cost:u00a0 Rs 40 crore

Chembur-Wadala-Jacob Circle Monorail Project
Construction of the monorail project between Chembur and Wadala is on in full swing. This construction work will inadvertently create traffic congestion in Chembur during the monsoons. At present, traffic outside the Chembur Railway Station and on RC Marg is moving at a snail's pace every day, and barricades have been put up to divert traffic. The situation is sure to turn from bad to worse once the downpours begin. Officials working on the project fear that the construction work may cause some of the nullahs to choke, and cause heavy flooding in the area.

Residents of the Lalbaug-Parel area must also brace themselves for the worst. Monorail construction work between Jacob Circle and Wadala is underway, and MMRDA workers can already be seen digging up parts of the road that leads from Bharatmata Cinema to Currey Road Station. Commuters traversing the stretch on their way to the Lower Parel Railway Station may face a tough time negotiating the roads, the poor condition of which is sure to be exacerbated with the onset of the monsoons. The monorail route will stretch from Jacob Circle to Arthur Road Jail, turning towards the left at Chinchpokli Circle, and moving along the N M Joshi Marg till the Parel station signal. Following this, the route will take a right via Currey Road towards Bharatmata Junction, passing over the Lalbaug Flyover and moving towards G D Ambedkar Marg, and thereafter moving towards Wadala. Needless to say, traffic on this entire stretch will be in a mess this monsoon.
Project details
Chembur to Wadala Monorail route
Length- 9 km
Work started- February 2009
Projected date of completion- June 2011
Delay
A delay in obtaining environmental clearance for the stretch passing through CRZ II near Mahul Creek has pushed back the date of completion. Although the clearance has been obtained and work in underway, at least another three to four months will be required to complete the civil work.
Status
80 per cent work completed
Expert speak
According to MMRDA Joint Project Director Dilip Kawatkar, "The civil work will be completed by the end of June. Then we will carry out tests for at least six months, after which the commuters will be able to avail of the monorail services, hopefully by November.
Benefits
a) The Monorail is a light-weight-system, and its cost of execution is less compared to the heavy rail systems.
b) As compared to other systems, the Monorail produces less noise and is eco-friendly. Thus it is a good option for densely populated parts of the city. The Monorail system has been in use in Tokyo (Japan) from 1963, in Kuala-Lumpur (Malaysia) for the last five years, and in China for last three years.

Flyovers on Dr Ambedkar Road
For many years, motorists driving on Dr Ambedakar Road from Byculla to Sion have been facing regular traffic congestion. The situation would worsen during the monsoons owing to waterlogging at Lalbaug, Bharatmata, Hindmata. Taking note of the commuters' woes, MMRDA started constructing several flyovers on Dr Ambedakar Road from the year 2008, including those at King Circle-Tilpule Chowk and Sion, which have already been thrown open to commuters.

Another flyover is under construction at Lalbaug, which will be thrown open for vehicular traffic in the first or second week of June. This means that motorists traversing the stretch from CST to the central and eastern suburbs of the city via Dr Ambedkar Road will be ensured a smooth and swift ride. They can now hope to reach from Byculla to Sion using the flyovers, in as little as 10-20 minutes.

Sahar Elevated Road
The construction of the 2 km-long Sahar Elevated Road is an important infrastructural project in Mumbai, as it will help air passengers reach the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in a short duration. The project was expected to be completed before the monsoon, in order to enable international air passengers reach the airport in time for their flights. In January, MMRDA officials had assured that work on the project was 70 per cent complete and that it would be thrown open to commuters in the month of May-June. However, it now appears unlikely that the work will be completed on time.

Project Details
Sahar Elevated Road
Length- 2 kms
Work started- December 2008
Projected date of completion- May 2011
Delay
Speaking to MiD DAY, MMRDA Commissioner Rahul Asthana said, "Earlier, we were confident of throwing open the crucial 2-km long Sahar Elevated Road by May, with a view to helping the passengers coming to the international airport via the WEH. But we ran into problems during the rehabilitation of Project affected Persons (PAPs). The resettlement and rehabilitation of the around 150 people staying in areas like Rajaramwadai, Bananwadai, Ambedkar Nagar and Sambhaji Nagar posed a major obstacle. Thus the project suffered a delay of six months."
Cost: Rs 287.37 crore
Status
85 per cent of the work has been completed
Benefits
The Sahar Elevated Road will provide an easy route for commuters who want to reach the International airport from the WEH. The elevated approach will have six lanes, four entry points and two exit points. Frequent flyers will no longer have to miss their flights due to traffic troubles.