Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - HT Navi Mumbai Live
3 lanes on Durgadi Bridge to be opened before rains
80% work done, says MMRDA, remaining three lanes to be ready after rainy season to ease woes
KALYAN: The wait for a smooth ride between Kalyan, Bhiwandi and Thane city will soon end, as the work on three of the six-lane Durgadi Bridge is nearing completion. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which is constructing the new Durgadi Bridge, located near the Durgadi fort in Kalyan over the Ulhas creek, claimed that three lanes of the bridge will be opened for the commuters before this monsoon and the remaining three later.
Following the opening of the new Patripool bridge, there has been a demand among commuters to open the long-awaited Durgadi bridge, which will ease the commute between Kalyan, Bhiwandi and Thane cities. The existing Durgadi bridge is narrow and causes congestion during peak hours.
As per the MMRDA officials, the work is gaining momentum after it was affected last year due to the pandemic. “We expect to complete the work on the three lanes before monsoon. Eighty per cent work on these three lanes is completed. During the lockdown, the manpower was affected and hence the work was stalled. The bridge is a balanced cantilever construction which needs a lot of technical expertise,” said Jaywant Dahane, executive engineer, MMRDA.
The balanced cantilever construction method is to attach the segments in an alternate manner at opposite ends of cantilevers supported by piers. This method is easily adaptable to congested project sites, rough and water terrain, rail crossings, and environmentally sensitive areas.
According to MMRDA, the work on six non navigational span is completed out of a total of nine spans, while the work on the remaining three is nearing completion.
“The balance cantilever construction is to be carried out with sequenced fabrication assembly. Each segment is to be constructed ensuring many safety aspects. However, due to the lockdown, assembly work could not be done within the targeted period,” added Dahane.
A man power of 400-500 is deployed at the site to carry out the work. The project was stalled several times since October 2018 due to various reasons.
“People travelling for work have to wait for hours in the traffic congestion from the Durgadi chowk till Kongaon. The bridge is the need of the hour,” said Uday Pandey, 30, a commuter.
The new bridge will connect Kalyan to Mumbai-Nashik highway. The bridge ends near Durgadi fort and leads to National Highway 222 as well as KalyanShilphata-Bhiwandi road and Thane.
Senior traffic police inspector Sukhdev Patil said, “Even if one lane is opened for the vehicles, it will be a major relief. We have been struggling to control the traffic on this route daily. The work of the first phase is nearing completion.”