Mumbai: BMC to spend Rs 36 cr to resurface Eastern Express Highway

The concreting work carried out by the civic body last year. File pic/Atul Kamble

In a move to enhance Mumbai's infrastructure, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has allocated Rs 36 crore for resurfacing the Eastern Express Highway. This initiative comes as part of a larger proposal, initiated in September, to invest Rs 1,591 crore in upgrading the service road, slip road, and junctions of both the Eastern and Western Express Highways to cement concrete. However, civic activists are urging the BMC to seek reimbursement from the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) since the roads were handed over to the BMC only two years ago, raising questions about the quality of maintenance and the need for these repairs.

Last week, the BMC administration approved a proposal for micro-surfacing the Eastern Express Highway, with plans to allocate R36 crore for the project. According to the proposal, the work will be completed in nine months, and the defect liability period will be three years.

Civic officials from the road department stated that this is a specialised technology for asphalting roads, allowing traffic to resume just two hours after completion. Since 2022, the BMC has spent Rs 110 crore on maintenance and pothole repairs for both the highways. Civic activist Godfrey Pimenta stated that both roads were handed over to the BMC by the MMRDA and that repairs were necessary before the transfer.

"The cost for these repairs should still be covered by the MMRDA," Pimenta said. Another activist, Anil Gagali, emphasised that the BMC should demand reimbursement from the MMRDA, considering these roads needed repairs just two years after being handed over. This funding is for the surfacing work on the Eastern Express Highway; afterwards, the BMC will consider the Western Express Highway.

BMC officials noted that the MMRDA handed over both highways in 2022 in their existing condition. "Now that the roads are with us, it is our duty to repair them," the official added.

The total length of the Eastern Express Highway is 19 km, while the Western Express Highway is 25 km. The Eastern Express Highway runs from Mulund to Sion, and the Western Express Highway runs from Dahisar to Bandra. Both highways were developed by the Public Works Department in the 1990s and were later handed over to the MMRDA in 2017.

2022
Year BMC took over both highways