MMRDA to finalise project report for Virar-Alibaug multi-modal corridor

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is in the process of finalizing the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Virar- Alibaug Multi-Modal corridor. The corridor will have an eight lane highway and a metro line which would be constructed in two phases.

The corridor has been proposed in two phases, phase-I is a highway which will run between Navghar situated in Vasai to Chirner near Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) and second phase would be constructed between Chirner to Alibaug.

The MMRDA is planning for a 126 km-long Multi Modal Corridor which would cut down travel time between Virar and Alibaug by 50 per cent. “The corridor is also expected to be a crucial step towards the development of the area and create job opportunities in areas of Virar, Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Dombivali, Panvel, Taloja and Uran,” said an MMRDA official.

The officials have now begun the process of land acquisition and have asked the respective district collectors to initiate the process in their districts. Once the land acquisition process is completed, the tenders for the phase one would be floated by June this year.

This corridor would also be useful for the development of upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport, JNPT Port, Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL). “This Corridor would carry all the traffic from JNPT towards Navi Mumbai and Thane to outside in order to reduce traffic congestion within the city,” added the official.

The proposed Multi Modal Corridor will ensure faster access to Mumbai from important National Highway (NH) of NH8 (Ahmedabad), NH3 (Agra-Delhi), NH4 (Pune-Bangalore), NH4 B (JNPT) and the Mumbai Pune Expressway.

“The Mumbai to Vadodara Expressway, currently under construction by National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), also passes close to the proposed corridor, so part of the expressway may be utilised for the corridor,” added the official.

The government land acquired by City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) near Raigad district also passes to the proposed corridor.

The plan has also been included in the draft regional plan 2016-2036 of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).