Dinesh Kamath's news item 'NMMC focus on Thane-Belapur Road' that was published in Newsband

NMMC focus on Thane-Belapur Road

Flyovers and subways to be constructed to prevent traffic snarls

By Dinesh Kamath

NAVI MUMBAI: NMMC wishes to decongest the traffic on the Thane-Belapur (TB) road. For this it has come up with a plan. The civic body has already started the tender process for some major development works on the TB road. In fact, the civic administration has already started construction of two flyovers and subways at some strategic traffic points on the TB road.

About seven years ago, the road was widened from Digha to Turbhe to prevent traffic snarls. But this has not stopped the occurrences of traffic jams. The jams are caused due to increase in the vehicles using the road. This road has certain sensitive areas where the traffic snarls occur constantly. It is for this reason that 2-lane flyovers will be made to come up at Talavali Naka and subways at Maphe junction and Savita Chemicals.

If NMMC approves of the plan, the cost for the 2-lane flyovers will be Rs 43 crore at Talavali Naka and Rs 49 crore at Ghansoli.

Vehicles from Talavali, Rabale and Ghotivili villages normally converge at Talavali Naka for travelling towards Vashi and Thane. This is the reason why traffic jams occur particularly at these points.

The NMMC is also considering constructing of an underpass or subway at Savita Chemicals and Maphe junction as flyovers are not feasible over here since CIDCO had already built a flyover at Maphe some 15 years ago. The cost for these underpasses will be Rs 19 crore at Maphe and Rs 14 crore at Savita Chemicals.

These four projects will cost NMMC about Rs 125 crore. The tender process and other formalities will soon begin.

Certain traffic reforms and road management plans have been suggested by the experts for the traffic police to implement. Due to lack of parallel service road at Khairane and Rabale junctions, the traffic snarls occur constantly over here. Overcrowding of pedestrians at Airoli Naka, Rabale, and Digha near Mukund Compay is the reason for the occurrences of traffic jams at these particular points. These are accident prone spots. Hence constructing of foot over bridge at certain places and extending of FOB at other points are planned. There will also be a service road between Kharane and Ghansoli. The cost of all these projects might be about Rs 200 crore.