The MSRDC has invited proposals for the project, which will connect the city to Navi Mumbai via the Thane creek
If all goes as per plan, work on the proposed bridge that will connect Mumbai to Navi Mumbai via the Thane creek will begin next year. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has asked the five shortlisted bidders to submit their proposals for the project, which has been in limbo for several years now. According to sources, the company that wins the contract will have to build the bridge, parallel to the existing bridge on the Sion-Panvel highway, in the next 36 months (three years).
The Sion-Panvel highway is part of the NH-4. File Pic
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The move holds significance as the Vashi creek bridge, which is used by thousands of commuters daily, is relatively narrow, due to which the area witnesses regular traffic snarls, especially during peak hours. The problem has become aggravated since the Sion-Panvel highway was widened with five lanes on both sides as the narrow segment of the creek fails to accommodate the rise in number of motorists.
MSRDC joint managing director Kiran Kurandkar said, "We are hoping to begin construction by next year. Once it is built, the new bridge will help immensely in solving the regular traffic menace in that region."
The MSRDC has written to the BMC requesting it to offer on lease a portion of the land where an octroi naka was situated earlier. If the civic body agrees to the request, another toll plaza may be made in that area, which would help decongest the traffic at the Vashi toll plaza.
A section of mangroves along the route of the proposed bridge, however, is posing a hurdle.
Speaking to mid-day, an MSRDC official said, "We are trying to get the Costal Regulatory Zone and Environment clearance from the authorities concerned."
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