With MMRDA set to begin work on the northern arm of the structure, traffic movement on the northbound stretch of WEH will be crippled, especially during evening peak hours
MMRDA, barricades, WEH, Kherwadi junction, Mumbai, traffic congestion
Motorists using the Western Express Highway (WEH) to commute from south to north Mumbai will have to either travel via alternate routes or be prepared to get stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, especially during evening peak hours, once the MMRDA commences construction of the northern arm of the Kherwadi junction flyover in the coming fortnight. The work is expected to be completed in the next six months.
The MMRDA has started installing barricades on the northbound stretch of the WEH at Kherwadi junction, so that it can start work on the northern arm of the flyover. The project is expected to take six months for completion
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Speaking to mid-day, an MMRDA official from the engineering department said, “We have secured the No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Traffic police department. Once the repair work of the northbound service road is done, construction work will begin in the next 10 to 15 days.” Though the construction of the northern arm of the flyover was supposed to begin this week itself, the unexpected downpour derailed MMRDA’s plan.
“We just need a dry spell of 72 hours to finish the repair work on the northbound stretch of the service road through which the traffic will be diverted once the work on the flyover begins,” the official added. Besides repairing the service road between Kherwadi and Santacruz, MMRDA say they will ensure that no vehicles are parked on the road that may adversely affect the vehicular movement.
Once the actual construction work of the flyover starts, motorists heading for north Mumbai will be allowed to use one of the lanes of the southern arm of the flyover, this lane would be reserved for northbound traffic during evening hours. A Traffic police constable said that despite all the precautions taken by the MMRDA, traffic jams on the WEH during the evening peak hours are inevitable.
“On working days, the traffic situation on the northbound stretch of the highway between Bandra Reclamation to S V Road and Santacruz flyover is pathetic. The construction work will only worsen it. Besides increasing the number of traffic cops, we will also have to ensure that parking does not happen on the service road,” the official added.
Keeping in mind the kilometre-long traffic jams that occurred during the construction of the southern arm of the flyover, the Traffic police will be requesting motorists heading for north Mumbai to travel via Link Road and S V Road.
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