New look for Western Express Highway with landscaping, bus Q shelters and lots more

A file picture of potholes on the Western Express Highway at Goregaon. Pic/Satej Shinde

Motorists using the arterial Western Express Highway, have a reason to be happy as the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has come up with a plan to refurbish it. The MMRDA's Urban Design Cell in association with the Laqshya Media Group has launched the Urban Beautification Landscaping Project, through which the beautification of the highway will be done. People expect the WEH to be improved with issues such as potholes and missing crash barriers resolved.

Slow moving traffic near the Dahisar check naka because of potholes on the Western Express Highway in July. Pic/Satej Shinde

Recently, Cabinet Minister for Environment and Tourism Aaditya Thackeray, accompanied by MMRDA Commissioner SVR Srinivas, inaugurated an Urban Beautification Landscaping Project at the Kalanagar Junction. Under this initiative, more than a 6-km long stretch from Mahim Causeway to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on WEH will be beautified with many measures, including landscaping at various nodes/public junctions, flyovers, underpasses, traffic islands, street furniture, bus Q shelters, etc. MMRDA officials said the entire cost cannot be estimated now as the different jobs will be at different expenses.

"Thousands of plants and shrubs will be planted in this project. It will be carried forward by the MMRDA Urban Designing Cell in association with the Laqshya Media Group under the direction of Aaditya Thackeray," MMRDA said in a tweet.

Tourists and people who use the WEH on a daily basis have been complaining about various issues regarding it. At some places on WEH, the crash barriers on the sides are missing and at some places there are potholes and the bus shelters are in bad condition. With this new project, people expect the condition of the arterial road will improve.

Cabinet Minister for Environment and Tourism Aaditya Thackeray at the inauguration of the Urban Beautification Landscaping Project

"The WEH has been in a bad shape for a long time. There are footpaths missing at many places and there is a scope of doing landscaping, which will add to the aesthetics of the arterial road. We hope that the stretch between Bandra and the international airport junction on WEH is designed in such a way that it will help not just commuters but motorists too," said Amey S, a daily commuter.

WEH is an arterial road that connects Dahisar in the Western suburbs to Bandra, and vehicles coming towards Bandra and South Mumbai from Mira Road, Thane, Ghodbunder Road, Ahmedabad, etc. use the road on a daily basis.