MMRDA plans more flyovers along SCLR

NOT MEETING ITS PURPOSE

MUMBAI: To ease bottlenecks along the Santacruz-chembur Link Road (SCLR), which was meant to ease commute between eastern and western suburbs, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is contemplating building flyovers and underpasses along the route.

Experts, however, have said that instead of spending public money on infrastructure projects, the agency could implement simple steps to ease congestion on the stretch.

Though the SCLR is meant to speed up commute between the eastern and western suburbs, bottlenecks can be found in several stretches, resulting in congestion. The journey from Chembur to Kurla is smooth, but Though the SCLR is meant to speed up commute between the eastern and western suburbs, bottlenecks can be found in several stretches, resulting in congestion

The journey from Chembur to Kurla is smooth, but traffic jam are frequent at the CST bridge traffic jams are frequent at the CST bridge near Kapadia Nagar, where vehicles coming from Kalina, BKC and Chembur meet.

The road going towards WEH becomes narrow, creating a bottleneck.

“We are working on various plans and are contemplating constructing small flyovers or near Kapadia Nagar, where vehicles coming from Kalina, BKC and Chembur meet

The areas near CST bridge, the Mumbai University gate, Ambedkar Chowk and a junction where SCLR meets the western express highway are some of the chronic trouble spots on the stretch. underpasses at a few junctions on the road,” said MMRDA commissioner UPS Madan.

At present, the MMRDA is planning the construction of underpasses or flyovers at the CST bridge, Ambedkar Chowk and WEH junction.

However, transport expert Jitendra Gupta said the SCLR can be congestion-free if the MMRDA widens the road to the length originally proposed. He said the SCLR was supposed to be 45.7m wide, but between Kurla and the Western Express Highway (WEH), the width is less than 30m.

“The construction of more flyovers and underpasses will not help as the road is narrow. It will just shift the bottlenecks from one location to other. If the road is widened, there will not be any need to build any new flyover or underpass,” Gupta said.

One of the reasons for congestion and narrowing of the SCLR is encroachments along the route.

“The MMRDA can save a lot of money if they remove encroachments, instead of constructing new flyovers or underpasses,” Gupta said.