T1 flyover opening delay: MMRDA playing politics, says Aaditya

The T1 flyover was expected to be opened on February 15. Pic/Nimesh Dave

Is the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) intentionally delaying the opening of the newly constructed domestic airport flyover on the Western Express Highway (WEH)? Shiv Sena (UBT) Leader Aaditya Thackeray has accused MMRDA of deliberately postponing the opening. He has attributed this delay to the unavailability of the chief minister for the inauguration. Thackeray has also voiced serious concern about the delayed opening of a section of the Gokhale bridge.

In a tweet, Thackeray said, "This is the flyover at the domestic airport junction that has been fully ready for a week, and not inaugurated because the illegal CM has no time for the people. Every night, light poles are switched on and Mumbaikars are stuck in traffic for hours. It is so annoying to see Mumbai being made to plead for such basics, while the shameless regime ignores the pain of Mumbaikars. I challenge the illegal CM, to keep his ego aside and ask the @MMRDAOfficial to open it up today itself. Let's see if he can set his ego aside."

Thackeray also tweeted the latest pictures of the newly constructed flyover. Talking about Gokhale bridge in the tweet, Thackeray continued, "While about the Gokhale bridge, the corrupt MC of the @mybmc is saying the bridge is ready but awaits load test, while the local BJP MLA says that mastic work and some other work remains. I don't want to put the MLA into an awkward situation about his intentional misleading of the people. But the MC of the BMC (who is due for a transfer and trying for a higher post) is only wasting time to ensure that the illegal CM finds time to inaugurate half the bridge. What a shame! I invite the media and Mumbaikars to visit both the bridges to see how ready they are and how the regime of the BJP and Shinde are only adding to the woes of Mumbai!

The question is, will the illegal CM keep aside his ego and open it up to the people??" mid-day has been consistently writing about the newly constructed domestic airport flyover. The structure, also known as the T1 flyover, was expected to open on February 15. On Tuesday (Feb 20), an MMRDA official had told mid-day that the final touches and installation of signboards on the flyover are underway after which the flyover will be opened.

Vile Parle East residents, who did not wish to be named, had even expressed fears that the new flyover might lead to traffic jams once it is opened. Construction work on the 790-m-long project started in June 2021 at a cost of R48.43 crore (provisional). The MMRDA had decided to construct the two-lane flyover as motorists coming via the Sahar elevated road and going towards Bandra via the WEH get stuck in traffic near the domestic airport flyover signal. With the construction of the new flyover, which is adjacent to the existing domestic airport flyover, motorists will be able to bypass the signal.