Mumbai-Thane creek skywalk inching towards completion

The creek skywalk is expected to be completed before monsoon

Conceptualised a decade ago, the first-of-its-kind creek skywalk connecting Mumbai and Thane is finally close to completion. It will help hundreds of commuters who walk along the tracks to reach their homes near Vitawa, due to lack of proper access.

The skywalk was stranded during the Covid-19 lockdown, and will be the third long-pending projects in the Thane region to be completed in 2022. The others were Kalwa road bridge leading to closure of level crossing gates, and the fifth and sixth railway lines. "A number of spans of the skywalk are now assembled and complete, and the work on flooring sheets and other material is at advanced stage. The plan is to finish the work in the next two months before the monsoon sets it. The work was already delayed for a long time," a senior official said.

The 605-metre skywalk with 145-metre pathway is expected to reduce trespassing on rail tracks and related accidents. Built parallel to rail lines between Thane and Kalwa, over the riverbed, the skywalk will provide direct access close to the station. Commuters from Thane station, living in Vitawa and north east of Thane, usually walk along the tracks to reach their destination. Hence, this skywalk was first conceived.

The skywalk was first proposed by former Central Railway general manager Subodh Jain around 2012, after a study found that people from small townships like Vitawa and Kopri have to commute via rail tracks on the creek bridge between Thane and Kalwa in the absence of a safer option. Thane is among the top three stations where most deaths happen due to accidents. "The skywalk would really be a boon for commuters like us who walk the distance from the station because of no proper access," local resident Hari Patil said.

Advocate Prakash Ranganathan from Thane suggested that the skywalk be linked to other foot overbridges. "The Station Area Traffic Improvement Scheme project that involves building an elevated road to decongest the station's circulating area is currently on in Thane East, and this skywalk should be merged with it for better connectivity," he said. The project cost Rs 23.25 crore, and is being built by the MMRDA.