BMC floats tenders to widen roads on corridor between Goregaon, Mulund
Work on certain stretches of a corridor between Goregaon and Mulund which will cut travel time between the suburbs by nearly 20 minutes is likely to start by the end of this year, with the BMC floating tenders for the first phase of the project.
The 16-km route, Goregaon Mulund Link Road (GMLR), will be one of the most important links for the east-west connectivity in the city. As per the plan, the road will begin at Oberoi Mall and will end at the Eastern Express Highway near Nahur station.
The only element of uncertainty in the entire project is a 4.7-km proposed tunnel that will run under the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. While the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) is yet to clear the stretch, BMC officials said they were confident of getting a favourable response.
Once completed, the corridor, estimated to cost nearly Rs 1300 crore, will reduce the distance between the two points from current 19.6 km and save motorists nearly 20 minutes of commute time.
“The tenders will be finalised after the BMC elections and most likely work orders can be given before monsoon,” said Sanjay Mukherjee, additional municipal commissioner (projects). This means work can start before the end of this year, he said.
But the bigger challenge for the BMC is getting MoEF clearance for the tunnel, which will be built nearly 30-40 metres below ground level. The corporation has appointed a consultant to conduct a geothermal survey and also design the underpass.
The tunnel was conceptualised after the earlier proposed route of the GMLR met with resistance. At that time, the corridor was to come up on stilts and pass through the IIT campus, defence land and the Bhandup water treatment complex.
Officials said the MoEF will consider the file for the tunnel once they submit the reports and design. On being asked if the Centre rejects the file, a civic official said, “In that case, we might have to consider an elevated road through other areas like the IIT campus.”
Meanwhile, the contractor for the construction of a flyover in Nahur, the last phase of the project, has been finalised and work will begin in April.
The 16-km route, Goregaon Mulund Link Road (GMLR), will be one of the most important links for the east-west connectivity in the city. As per the plan, the road will begin at Oberoi Mall and will end at the Eastern Express Highway near Nahur station.
The only element of uncertainty in the entire project is a 4.7-km proposed tunnel that will run under the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. While the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) is yet to clear the stretch, BMC officials said they were confident of getting a favourable response.
For now, tenders have been floated to widen the A N Vaidya road, which runs from Oberoi Mall junction to Film City, and the Khindipada Road on the other end of the proposed tunnel. After widening, each of the roads will have four lanes.
Once completed, the corridor, estimated to cost nearly Rs 1300 crore, will reduce the distance between the two points from current 19.6 km and save motorists nearly 20 minutes of commute time.
“The tenders will be finalised after the BMC elections and most likely work orders can be given before monsoon,” said Sanjay Mukherjee, additional municipal commissioner (projects). This means work can start before the end of this year, he said.
But the bigger challenge for the BMC is getting MoEF clearance for the tunnel, which will be built nearly 30-40 metres below ground level. The corporation has appointed a consultant to conduct a geothermal survey and also design the underpass.
The tunnel was conceptualised after the earlier proposed route of the GMLR met with resistance. At that time, the corridor was to come up on stilts and pass through the IIT campus, defence land and the Bhandup water treatment complex.
Officials said the MoEF will consider the file for the tunnel once they submit the reports and design. On being asked if the Centre rejects the file, a civic official said, “In that case, we might have to consider an elevated road through other areas like the IIT campus.”
Meanwhile, the contractor for the construction of a flyover in Nahur, the last phase of the project, has been finalised and work will begin in April.
