There is only a two-lane link leading towards the crucial NH-222 and Kalyan-Shilphata road, causing a bottleneck every day; the new six-lane bridge will be helpful for travelling between Kalyan and Mumbai-Nashik highway
Residents of Kalyan have some good news. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which is the special planning authority for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), has invited tenders for the construction of a six-lane bridge across Ulhas creek near National Highway-222 (NH-222).
At present, there is a two-lane bridge connecting Kalyan with the Mumbai-Nashik highway. This bridge ends near Durgadi fort, and leads towards the crucial NH-222, as well as the Kalyan-Shilphata-Bhiwandi road. There is also another bridge over the creek, which was constructed by Richardson and Cruddas Company in 1914.
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Due to the corrosive atmosphere and rusting of iron members, the bridge’s usability was deemed over. It was closed to traffic and the Public Works Department (PWD) is considering dismantling it. The present two-lane RCC bridge was constructed by the state PWD and inaugurated on May 10, 2002.
“The present Durgadi two-lane bridge is unable to carry local and highway cargo traffic due to lane limitations. No other bridge link is available. There has been fervent demand from public representatives for widening the existing RCC bridge. Hence, the Authority has recommended undertaking this proposal of constructing a wider bridge on priority, said an MMRDA official.
Traffic snarls on either side of the bridge stretch up to 2 km and has become a regular feature, making commuting on this stretch a nightmare. The official further revealed that the project is expected to cost Rs 85 crore, and will take 24 months for completion. MMRDA has even extended the deadline for submitting tenders from the earlier date of December 31, since some bidders said they needed more time for design work on the bridge.
MMRDA Chief Engineer Sharad Sabnis said, “We are going to construct a six-lane bridge passing over Ulhas Creek. This will be very helpful for people travelling between Kalyan and Mumbai-Nashik highway.”Construction on the bridge, whose length will be 380.60 metres, is expected to begin by April.
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