The project began in 2004, was expected to be completed by December 2008 and showing no signs of anywhere near it, even in its present form.
As if the Santa Cruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR) work was going at a hectic pace, the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Corporation (MMRDA) has decided to add one more flyover to the project.
The project began in 2004, was expected to be completed by December 2008 and showing no signs of anywhere near it, even in its present form.
The addition in the design has been insisted upon by the World Bank, it seems. The proposed flyover, which would be about 1.1-km long, is being planned to ease the vehicular flow near the Eastern Express Highway (EEH).
“As per the original plan, the under-construction SCLR was to meet EEH at the Amar Mahal Junction on the ground-level carriageway. However, it was later noticed that it will only add to the existing congestion at the junction. Moreover, if we would have had a signal at the end of SCLR, the purpose of the entire freeway would have gone waste. Thus, we decided to add this flyover,” R Ramana, additional chief, transport and communications division, MMRDA, told DNA.
“The plan was finalised in January this year. We have already invited tenders for the construction of the flyover which will cost Rs59.51 crore. The work for the same is expected to begin at the end of the monsoon and will be completed within 22 months.
The flyover will run parallel to the existing flyover at the Amar Mahal Junction on the
left hand side (if one is driving towards the north). It will end just 150 metres before
the south-bound Chheda Nagar flyover,” added Ramana.
Amar Mahal Junction is one of the busiest junctions on the EEH with RC Chemburkar Road (Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Road) and PL Lokhande road meeting the highway at the same place. The new flyover will have two arms (see design), for the to and fro traffic.
The SCLR saga
The Santa Cruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR), which is a part of Mumbai Urban Transport Project initiated by the MMRDA, with part funding from the World Bank. This 3.64-km road has also turned out to be the most delayed road component in MUTP. MMRDA officials have been justifying the delay saying that there were thousands of impediments to be removed including religious structures. One of the major hurdles faced by the much delayed SCLR is removal of around 13 buildings near the Tilak Nagar harbour railway station. The buildings which are in the direct alignment of the road, are to be demolished for the road.
The actual work for SCLR began in July 2004, and it was expected to be completed by December 2008. However, according to officials, now the latest date of completion of the link road has been extended to May 2010, with the addition of the latest flyover at Amar Mahal Junction. Whether the revised deadline would be achieved is anyone’s guess.
Rails hit, roads flop
The MUTP project which kickstarted during the tenure of Dr. T Chandrashekhar, brought the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) in the limelight for the first time. The world bank funded project had a rail component as well as a road component including the two roads SCLR and JVLR. While the rail component seems to be right on track with the arrival of trendy new rakes and additional railway tracks being laid on western and central railways, the road component time table seems to have gone for a complete toss.
While work on the JVLR seems to be moving at a snail pace, officials of MMRDA often claim that most of the impediments have been removed from the road alignment. However, situation on SCLR seems to be even worse. According to sources in MMRDA, one of the major reason for the delay has been the over critical approach of the officials of the World Bank on the rehabilitation and resettlement policy.
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