Alibaug corridor snippets

In all, eighteen consortia comprising national and international firms have come forward to conduct a techno-economic and financial feasibility study for a promising 100-km multi-modal transport corridor, the first of its kind in Mumbai Metropolitan Region proposed between Virar and Alibaug. This Rs 12,000-crore connector will have rail and road links and motorists will be able to traverse it from city’s west coast end to Konkan coast end within one hour. The journey currently takes about four hours. The development has come as a big boost for MMRDA after 11 firms came up to offer their consultancy to build 101-storeyed iconic tower at Wadala, a Rs 5,000-crore project. “It is indeed a welcome sign that the MMRDA has received no less than eighteen proposals, that too, from reputed corporates,” said MMRDA spokesman Dilip Kawathkar. “MMRDA had to recently face a bad phase due to recession wherein not a single company turned up to build its projects like Metro-II corridor and Nhava-Sewri Sea Link,’’ an officials said. The prominent firms include Louis Berger, Ernst & Young, Mott Mac Donald, Darashaw consultants, Stup consultants, Pricewaterhouse-Coopers, Parsons and Brinckerhoff, SNC-Lavalin, Lea Associates, AECOM India, CES, and Egis BCEOM, RITES, IL&FS, HSS and several others. In this corridor, MMRDA plans to create eight lanes for the vehicles besides two dedicated lanes for the buses. The road will also have a Metro rail track right in median of the corridor. The project was suggested under the recent comprehensive transportation study carried out by MMRDA. This freeway will begin from Virar along western cost and on the National Highway 18 and will culminate at Alibaug on the National Highway 17 via Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Dombivli and Panvel. Out of the 100 km, a stretch of 60 km will be constructed completely new. After the study by one of these 18 firms, the consultants will be appointed followed by developers.