Obama may delay your traffic-free ride

The US President's visit will stall the already-delayed Sahar International Airport Elevated Road Project for three days; it is supposed to ease traffic on the Western Express Highway

Sources at the MMRDA claim that US President Barack Obama's upcoming visit will halt The Sahar International Airport Elevated Road Project for three days, due to security reasons.u00a0 Obama is set to arrive with his wife and associates on November 6 and leave the next day, but the project will be stalled on the previous day. This information comes after a US official informed the MMRDA of the same during a survey conducted a few days earlier.

MMRDA began the construction of the 2 km long Sahar Elevated Road Project in 2008. The project is estimated to cost Rs 287.37 crore, and is due for completion by May 2011. However, it is reportedly running behind schedule, with 45 per cent of the work still pending. There are concerns about stalling the project for an additional three days, which will cause further delay.

The project plans to accommodate a six lane elevated road with four entry and two exit points. It will cut down traffic problems on the Western Express Highway considerably.

Obama's convoy will travel from the airport to the Taj Mahal Hotel in Colaba, where he will be staying. Though the Police have not disclosed the exact route they will follow, there are chances that the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) will also need to halt ongoing work on the construction of the Bandra Promenade along Bandra Reclamation when he travels. Apart from this, the MMRDA will have to close the section of Bandra East skywalk which passes over Western Express Highway betweenu00a0 Kalanagar-BKC junction and Bandra Railway station.

Joint Project Director, MMRDA, Dilip Kawaka said, "We have not received any letter about this till now. If we have to stop the ongoing work due to security reasons for the American President, we will obey the orders given by the government."