Mumbai: No more going round in circles at Bandra Reclamation

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Commuters will no longer have to suffer a slow crawl on the roundabout route from Western Express Highway to Lilavati Hospital in Bandra West, but will instead be able to sprint right across a 150-metre ramp straight to Hotel Rang Sharda on KC Marg.

The proposal for a ramp connecting Rang Sharda in Bandra West to the Western Express Highway at Bandra Reclamation saw all clearances come in from the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority and State Environment Impact Assessment Authority just last month.

The Rs 4-crore project covers a barely 150-metre stretch, but will provide faster and easier access to commuters travelling between the Express Highway or the Bandra-Worli sea link and Mount Mary or Lilavati Hospital. It will have entry and exit points on the Reclamation end, while the and the other end will lead directly to KC Marg.

Currently one has to take subway to go towards KC Marg, or battle the traffic bottleneck on the Bandra west side. It can take anywhere between 15-20 minutes from Mount Mary to the Western Express Highway. The ramp will cut this to just 5-10 minutes, reducing traffic during peak hours and clearing the bottleneck on SV Road.

Two years ago, encroachments were cleared. However, there are another 40-odd slum units yet to be demolished. The BMC's H-West ward office is processing the rehabilitation of project-affected residents.

Sharad Ughade, assistant municipal commissioner, said, "All necessary permissions have been taken, and the work of fixing eligibility for rehabilitation is in process. While a major chunk of the encroachment has already been cleared in the past, the remaining bits will be done shortly. This road will help take care of traffic bottlenecks in the area."

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