Work on Kalyan-Navi Mumbai highway project to begin soon
Traffic at Rabale. Image Courtesy : Vijay Singh
In keeping with its plan of decongesting the suburbs, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has floated tenders for the first phase of the 12-km Katai-Airoli Highway project.
The work on the ambitious project, which was in a state of limbo for the last few months, is set to begin immediately after the project is awarded to a contractor.
The Rs 1000+ crore project is estimated to cut down the travel distance between Kalyan-Dombivali and Navi Mumbai by 7 km, bringing respite to lakhs of motorists who travel on the route everyday. The current route requires motorists to take a detour from Mahape or Thane, adding to the travel time and congestion on the stretch.
In the first phase of the project, the MMRDA will construct an elevated road or flyover measuring 918 metres, along with a 1.7 km tunnel under Parsik Hills. The elevated road and tunnel will cut down on the travel distance from Thane-Borivali to Shil Phata on National Highway 4 from 11.5 km to over 4.5 km.
The three-lane (one side) elevated road will be constructed between Bharat Bijlee and Siemens factory, running parallel to Airoli railway station. The four-lane (one side) tunnel will start from Siemens factory and go all the way up to Shil Phata. The construction of the road and tunnel is estimated to cost Rs 453 crore.
Owing to the rise of property rates in the maximum city, hundreds of businesses have shifted factories and offices outside city limits. However, the sudden rise in the number of establishments had caused a lot of strain on the existing infrastructure.
Apart from the Katai-Airoli Highway project, two more flyovers are being constructed on the Thane-Belapur road.
