20.4.17

Mumbai's Freeway, MTHL & Coastal Road to meet


A plan's afoot to connect the Eastern Freeway , and the proposed Coastal Road and Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link. For this, the MMRDA has leased a plot of 27 acres (11 hectares) from the Mumbai Port Trust. The plot, which abuts the Sewri railway station on the east and is locally known as `Gaadi Adda', is currently reserved as a special industrial zone. The lease is for an initial 30 years.

The state urban development department has issued a notification to change the reservation of the plot to transportation interchange zone, and has invited objections and suggestions.

The plot will comprise a loop with two lanes each branching out from MTHL to the Freeway , the proposed elevated Sewri-Worli road and the existing at-grade Messant Road.

All of 27 acres will go into the construction of the loop and there will be no commercial exploitation of the land. The at-grade road, which handles heavy port traffic, will be reinstated once the interchange zone is ready .

The 4.25 km elevated Sewri-Worli road will meet the Coastal Road on Worli Seaface. The sea link is to be integrated with the Coastal Road.

The interchange zone is part of the MTHL construction, while the elevated road is a separate project. A consultant is being appointed to carry out a pre-feasibility study and prepare a fresh estimate for the elevated road project.

The MMRDA is awaiting the final order of the National Green Tribunal on Coastal Regulation Zone clearance for the MTHL project. The clearance has been challenged before the tribunal. Once the matter is sorted out, MMRDA will be able to go ahead with the bidding process for the Rs.17,843-crore MTHL project. Meanwhile, the BMC has obtained clearance for phase I (island city) of the Coastal Road project. Work is expected to begin in October.

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