02-05-07, 10:20 AM
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#1
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Easy Drive Forum Veteran
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 355
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Width Matters
WIDTH MATTERS
Arterial Roads In The Western And Eastern Suburbs Are Becoming Wider, Giving You A Much Better Driving Experience.
WESTERN EXPRESS HIGHWAY
Quote:
LENGTH: 24.35 km
CONNECTS: Bandra and Dahisar
MAXIMUM WIDTH: 61 metres (at Kandivli and Jogeshwari)
PROJECT COST: Rs 270 crore
STATUS: 80 per cent complete
The longest arterial road within BMC limits still sees a lot of work; it is being widened and strengthened at several places and new flyovers are coming up at the busier points like Kandivli and near the airport. The expressway has also been converted from a four-lane road to a 10-lane thoroughfare. It also has a couple of service lanes on either side at several places, making the Western Express Highway a 14-lane road on several stretches. All this widening has helped speed up traffic. The greatest beneficiary has been the BEST Undertaking, which runs several routes on the highway. Transport consultant Arun Mokashi, who travels along the WEH, is happy the way the road has shaped up. But he wishes that the bottlenecks near Borivli are done away with.
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ANDHERI-KURLA ROAD
Quote:
LENGTH: 4.77 km
CONNECTS: Andheri and Ghatkopar
MAXIMUM WIDTH: 27.45 metres (near Star Movies)
PROJECT COST: Rs 14 crore
STATUS: 75 per cent complete
The road links Andheri in the western suburbs with Ghatkopar in the east via Kurla. It joins the Eastern Express Highway and is now one of the main roads linking the western suburbs with the western suburbs. The widening of the road is still going on; the road is widest near Star Movies. Work is also not over on the western end; when it is done, the road will start at Versova.
This new road is already home to many of the new-age sectors like information technology and the media. The road also serves the SEEPZ area as well as the MIDC industrial estate and the airport.
Residents are happy with the load the road is taking. Travel agency owner and social activist Abraham Mathai says the Andheri-Ghatkopar Link Road (also called the Andheri-Kurla Link Road) has, over the last one year, improved a lot. “The road is now wide and movement along it has picked up but it still gets crowded at times,’’ he says.
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EASTERN EXPRESS HIGHWAY
Quote:
LENGTH: 18.31 km
CONNECTS: Sion and Mulund
MAXIMUM WIDTH: 61 metres (near Chembur)
PROJECT COST: Rs 124 crore
STATUS: 80 per cent complete
This is perhaps the second most important arterial road in the suburbs after the Western Express Highway. It extends from Sion in the island city right up to the Mulund Check Naka in the eastern suburbs, traversing a distance of more than 18 km. The highway has now been converted from an eightlane road to a 10-lane affair; and, if you add the two additional lanes on either side that are functional service roads, you end up with a 14-lane expressway.
And, at its widest, the Eastern Express Highway (just like its counterpart in the western suburbs) is a staggering 61 metres.
Speed has been the greatest gift of the Eastern Express Highway to people staying in and commuting to the eastern suburbs.
Even public transport — comprising the buses run by the BEST Undertaking — has speeded up remarkably, say people who use the road regularly.
Media executive Aditya Dighe, who stays in the eastern suburbs, says travelling has improved a lot after the widening of the road. But there continue to be bottlenecks at Sion, Vikhroli and Mulund. “The government should try and sort out these problems,’’ he demands.
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LINK ROAD
Quote:
LENGTH: 20.18 km
WILL CONNECT: Bandra and Dahisar
MAXIMUM WIDTH: 36.6 metres (near Goregaon-Malad)
PROJECT COST: Rs 94 crore
STATUS: 70 per cent complete
This is one of the newest additions to Mumbai’s network of roads. It is supposed to start at Bandra and reach Dahisar but the last bit — at the north between Kandivli and Dahisar — and a few other stretches are still missing; one such example is the stretch between Santacruz and Jogeshwari. But MMRDA engineer-in-charge J G Gandhi said the stretch was expected to be complete by December 2007. Even the incomplete road, however, has been a boon to commuters who agree that it has taken a huge load away from S V Road and the Western Express Highway. An executive in a private firm, Manish Shandiliya, who uses the road upto Jogeshwari regularly, says the difference the road has made over the last six months is noticeable. “But it will be an even bigger help when the road connects Bandra with Dahisar,’’ he said.
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JOGESHWARI-VIKHROLI LINK ROAD
Quote:
LENGTH: 10.46 km
CONNECTS: Jogeshwari and Vikhroli
MAXIMUM WIDTH: 45 metres (ahead of SEEPZ)
PROJECT COST: Rs 146 crore
STATUS: 80 per cent complete
The road is one of the two new main link roads being developed for better connectivity between the eastern suburbs and the western suburbs. It is one component of the city projects that are part of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project being financed by the World Bank.
The road has three flyovers — at SEEPZ, L&T and Gandhinagar — and a subway near the Hirandani Complex.
It has seen its share of delays, mainly because of rehabilitation-related issues, but officials feel the road will now be complete very soon.
Residents, however, say they are already getting the benefits of the incomplete road.
Charles D’Souza, who often drives from his home near the Western Express Highway to the Hiranandani Complex at Powai, says the area has improved and the drive is smooth except for a small patch that, officials say, will be ready soon. “I can reach Powai in 15 minutes now,’’ he says.
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Source: http://epaper.timesofindia.com (Mumbaii Edition)
Date Of Publish: 02-May-07
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