Milan subway overbridge misses another deadline
The Milan subway road overbridge, which was expected to be thrown open to commuters before this years rains, has missed yet another deadline, inconveniencing commuters for one more monsoon. It is now expected to be ready by December.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has revised the deadline for the completion of the 700-metre bridge, work on which began in 2008, more than four times. Dilip Kawathkar, spokesperson for the MMRDA, said there was no specific reason for the delay this time. The installation work is going on. The steel bridge over the railway tracks was supposed to be made by a firm in Andhra Pradesh. There is a process, so it takes time, he said.
The construction on the Santacruz side and on the side of the Vile Parle service road is close to completion, but the portion across the railway tracks remains to be built. The two ends are to be connected by a steel bridge across the railway tracks, tenders for which were called last year. We got the steel bridge last month, it has been stored at the construction site since then, Kawathkar said.
The Rs 41-crore flyover is expected to help commuters who use the Milan subway, a low-lying stretch that is hit by chronic flooding during every monsoon. The subway provides crucial east-west connectivity in the western suburbs.
There is a lot of traffic congestion in the area and the construction work there has just made the commute worse, said Shikha Dhanuka, a resident of Vile Parle (E). Earlier, there were two service roads to the subway. Now because of the construction, they have blocked one and I took at least 20 minutes more to reach the subway.
The project has faced several hurdles since its inception in 2008, leading to delays. The MMRDA secured permissions from the Western Railway to take the bridge across the railway line early last year. There were also a few issues with the railway authorities with regard to the design of the bridge that delayed the project.
Further, the MMRDA had to resettle the project-affected people and commercial establishments and provide a slot to a mosque and madrasa, which was in the way of the bridge, in the vicinity.