27 June,2019 07:14 AM IST | Mumbai | Ranjeet Jadhav
Final phase of work on the connector is currently on at BKC. Pics/Pradip Dhivar
Regular commuters on the BKC to Eastern Express Highway route are finally set to get some relief from the traffic they face near the Kurla-Sion Bandra Link Road stretch as work on the elevated road connecting BKC with Chunabhatti is nearing completion. The road will be thrown open to the public by September.
Metropolitan Commissioner R A Rajeev told mid-day that construction work on the BKC-Chunabhatti elevated connector has been completed. "Only blacktopping (surfacing with tar) the road is pending which will be done post monsoon and the road will be thrown open for motorists in September," he said.
Also Read: Mumbai: Vikhroli Metro station to tower over EEH, JVLR
ALSO READ
Mumbai fires: Mankhurd scrap godown and Bandra high-rise blaze
Fire erupts in Mumbai highrise, nine rescued and elderly woman hospitalised
Now you can travel from Mumbai's eastern suburbs to BKC in just 15 minutes
Bullet train project: 2 lakh noise barriers installed along the 100-km viaduct
Christmas Eve 2024: It’s the most wonderful time of the year in Bandra
Blacktopping can be done in monsoon too but that would mean an early invitation to potholes since the tar mixture does not settle properly in moisture conditions.
Last month, the MMRDA launched six major girders each over Sion Rail Over Bridge (ROB) and Chunabhatti Rail Over Bridge (ROB). The 52-meter long girders at Sion weighed 480 tonnes and the 60-meter long at Chunabhatti weighed 600 tonnes. The heavy-duty activity helped MMRDA construct a bridge across the Mithi River along with a Rail Over Bridge over Central Railway tracks near Sion station and over Harbour Railway tracks near Chunabhatti station.
Also Read: BKC-Eastern Express flyover to be ready by July: Girders laid over CR lines
The BKC-Chunabhatti link road will help commuters reach Eastern Express Highway in much lesser time
The Rs 155-crore Elevated Connector from BKC to EEH is expected to decongest traffic in the Sion-Dharavi area, reducing the journey by three kilometres, and travel time by 30 minutes.
At present motorists take more than 30 minutes to reach BKC from Chunabhatti as they get stuck in traffic near Sion circle and on the Sion-Dharavi link road. Work on the BKC-Chunabhatti connector had begun in April 2015.
Also read: Mumbai Metro line 2B in BKC to shift for Thackerays' safety; threatens to cause delays
Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates