After a delay of six months, the state PWD is expecting to kick-start the expansion for the Sion-Panvel highway beginning June.
After a delay of six months, the state PWD is expecting to kick-start the expansion for the Sion-Panvel highway beginning June.
The project was to be earlier carried out by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), however it was transferred to the state PWD. Although it was to start by the beginning of 2011, financial constraints forced the Joint Venture partners to ask for a six month extension.
PWD chief engineer Sharad Sabnis told DNA that all the hurdles in the project were now cleared. “We are looking at beginning of the expansion by early June,” said Sabnis. The massive expansion work of Sion-Panvel road would involve construction of bridges at Kamothe, Uran bypass and Sanpada junction, 10 foot-over bridges and 17 under passes.
The entire stretch of the highway (24.89km) from Bhabha Atomic Research centre (BARC) to Kalamboli is with the state PWD except for the 1.8km long stretch on which the Vashi creek bridge was constructed. The remaining stretch would be converted to five lanes on both sides as part of the widening project. The cost is expected to be approximately Rs1700 crore.
According to senior PWD officials, the project of construction of 5 plus 5 lanes on the Sion-Panvel highway is improvement of the state highway which has a distance of 23.05km from Trombay till Kalamboli, where the Mumbai-Pune Express highway begins. A toll plaza is expected to be set up at Kamothe and the JV will collect the toll for 17 years and three months, including the period of three years for construction. “Three new flyovers will be constructed at Sanpada junction, Uran bypass and Kamothe. Two flyovers will be built at Taloja junction and Chembur-Mankhurd Link Road. Each flyover shall be 10.5 metres wide,” informed an official.
The implementation of the project had come to a standstill after a NGO forum had filed a PIL in the HC opposing the setting up of a toll plaza at Kamothe. In the litigation, the NGO had claimed that the Sion-Panvel highway already has Vashi toll plaza and hence yet another toll naka at Kamothe would be additional burden of toll on the motorists.
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