MMRDA plans Rs 1,500-cr road projects next year

Come the new year the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is ready with its plans to decongest the metropolis by dishing out Rs 1,500-crore worth road network.

"We have in place plans to roll out a 26-km road network worth Rs 1,512 crore that will ease congestion in the city," MMRDA Joint Project Director Dilip Kawathkar said in a statement here.

The network includes three flyovers, one rail over bridge, one elevated road and the critical Eastern Freeway, the statement said.

"The very intent of undertaking the Mumbai Urban Infrastructure Project [MUIP] is to improve road connectivity and also provide east-west connectivity. In 2011, we opened a few flyovers for vehicular traffic and we are confident of achieving our targets of the next year," he said.

In the current year, the authority opened flyovers at Bharatmata-Lalbaug, Maheshwari Udyan-Tulpule Chowk, Barfiwala (southern lane) and Suman Nagar, the release said.

MMRDA intends to complete its two rail-over-bridges at Milan subway and Dahisar, Sahar elevated road project, Eastern Freeway, flyovers at Barfiwala, Panvel and Kapurbawdi in 2012.

"The Barfiwala flyover and the two ROBs at Milan and Dahisar, will provide the much-needed east-west connectivity while the Sahar elevated road will establish a direct link to the international airport and the Eastern Freeway will connect eastern suburbs with south Mumbai," Kawathkar added.