The flyover has been plagued by a slew of problems, and also exceeded its budget by Rs 18 crore. Once open, however, it will ease traffic woes that presently afflict Andheri
The flyover has been plagued by a slew of problems, and also exceeded its budget by Rs 18 crore. Once open, however, it will ease traffic woes that presently afflict Andheri
The authorities at Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) have proudly announced that the northern arm of the Barfiwala Flyover, which will ease traffic at Andheri's busy SV Road Junction, will be thrown open to motorists in June, before the onset of the monsoon. However, their bold declaration does little to hide the fact that the project has been delayed by more than three years, and has exceeded the initial budget by Rs 18.64 crore. In totality, the flyover's price tag is a whopping Rs 42.5 crore.
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Traffic woes : The opening of the Barfiwala flyover in Andheri before
the monsoon will be of great help to the residents of the region.
Speaking to MiD DAY, MMRDA Commissioner Rahul Asthana said, "The Barfiwala Flyover is a crucial one in Andheri, as it will facilitate better east-west connectivity. The northern arm of this flyover will be thrown open for vehicular traffic by June."u00a0 However, when the construction of the flyover was initiated in 2006, the authorities had promised that it would be completed by 2008.
Escalated cost
Various factors hindered the project, causing the delay and escalating the project cost by Rsu00a0 18.64 crore. The chief obstacle was the impediment caused by construction of utility lines for water, power and telephonic communication, under the road. "We had to take proper safety measures while the digging was underway. We even had to make changes in the design and shift numerous underground utilities at some locations. There was also a hold-up due to the necessary acquisition of private lands. Several structures had to be re-organised," said an MMRDA official.
The official also said that they suffered a setback due to delay in obtaining the Right of Way from the Traffic Department, before starting work on the stretch. "As the road is a crucial one, connecting east and west, the traffic department gave permission for construction only after confirming that all necessary measures had been taken to ensure that motorists were not inconvenienced during the morning and peak hours." The northern arm of the flyover is 190 metres long. A study has revealed that once both arms of the flyover are open to commuters, 70,000 vehicles will use it just to cross the SV Road junction.
At present the residents of the area are afflicted by severe traffic problems caused by the pervasive construction work in various pockets. "As the construction of the 11.7 km-long Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar (VAG) Metro rail is on in full swing, the traffic on J P Road is moving at a snail's pace. Most of the vehicles coming from Seven Bungalow, Versova, Four Bungalow and Lokhandwala have to travel to Andheri and the Western Express Highway via the Juhu Galli Road. The problem is compounded by construction work of the Barfiwala flyover. The opening of this flyover before monsoon will be of great help to the residents of the region," said a traffic police posted at the Barfiwala Flyover Junction.
One of the important benefits of this flyover is that it will help traffic cross the junction without being stalled by any traffic signals, on the way to important landmarks in the city like Juhu, Versova, Mithibai College, and JVPD area from Andheri (East) and the Western Express Highway.
The Other Side
While the MMRDA funded the project, its executing body is the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC). The MSRDC officials, however, were not available for comment.
Rs 42.5 cr Total cost of the Barfiwala flyoveru00a070,000u00a0Number of vehicles that will use the flyover to cross the SV Road junction
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