Expect more traffic snarls on WEH from today as work on Metro VII begins
Western Express Highway. Picture Courtesy : Sayeed Khan
Traffic on the already congested Western Express Highway is set to get worse as the work on the Metro VII project begins from Monday, August 8.
The work on the Rs 6,200 crore Metro VII corridor from Andheri East to Dahisar East will involve the barricading of three stretches of road on the WEH. Once complete, over 70,000 commuters will be able to travel in one direction on the WEH in an hour via the Metro.
The project, which is set to complete by 2019, will reduce the time taken to cover the WEH stretch to 30 minutes, less than half the time taken by motorists during non-peak hours. During peak hours, motorists take anywhere between 90 to 120 minutes to cover the stretch.
The barricading will be from Hub Mall till the start of Aarey flyover, Pathanwadi to Pushpa Park and Metro Mall to Devipada. It will take around 10-12 days for the barricading to complete, the deadline for which is set to August 20.
While the traffic on WEH is expected to worsen during morning and evening peak hours, MMRDA is urging commuters to co-operate with them as the project will go a long way in relieving traffic on the route upon completion.
Pravin Darade, Secretary to the Chief Minister’s office and Additional Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA also said that the corridor will save time, energy, fuel and improve environment.
The work on the corridor will be carried out by three contractors, who are expected to complete the construction of the corridor and 16 stations on the route by 2019.
