Barricades to come up at EEH, LBS from April to make way for Wadala-Thane Metro 4 work

Motorists travelling via the Eastern Express Highway (EEH) and LBS Marg will have to face major inconvenience in the coming months as work on the pivotal Wadala-Thane-Kasarvadavali Metro-4 is set to begin in April.

The State Cabinet, chaired by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, had cleared the Metro 4 project in September 2016.

According to a report in Hindustan Times, Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) opened the financial bids for the Metro-4 packages on Monday.

The project is likely to be awarded to Reliance-Astaldi and Tata Projects-China Harbour Engineering Company (TPL-CHEC) following a go-ahead from MMRDA’s executive committee.

The planning authority had re-invited bids in November after receiving bids higher than its original estimates.

“We should start the soil-testing in March and full-fledged work in April. There will be barricades on EEH and LBS Marg and traffic diversions will be in place,” the daily quoted MMRDA Additional Metropolitan Commissioner Pravin Darade saying.

On the EEH, barricades blocking multiple lanes will reportedly come up from Suman Nagar flyover in Chembur till the Ghatkopar exit near Garodia Nagar, extending up to LBS Marg.

In Thane, the barricading will start from Mulund check naka and extend till Kasarvadavali via Majiwada, Kapurbawdi, and Manpada.

MMRDA had put up similar barricades along the Western Express Highway last year to make way for Metro 2A and 7 construction work. The traffic restriction, on the already busy highway, has become a major pain point for commuters travelling on the route.

About Metro 4:

Distance covered: 32.32 km
Implementation cost: Rs 14,549 crore
Areas covered: Wadala-Mulund-Thane-Kasarvadavali (fully elevated)
Stations: 32
Funding: MMRDA (Rs 6,940 crore) + State Government (Rs 3,693 crore) + Credit Assistance (Rs 3,916 crore)