SCLR extension, supposed to relieve traffic from Kurla towards Santacruz, is fully blocked with traffic at all times, making it useless as a supposed respite, say motorists
Exit point of SCLR onto WEH towards Borivli; vehicles from service road choke ramp as WEH extension work continues ahead. Pics/Satej Shinde and Madhulika Ram Kavattur
Since the opening of the Santacruz–Chembur Link Road (SCLR) extension on August 14, the route has been plagued by heavy congestion. To tackle the bottleneck, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has begun widening the northbound stretch of the Western Express Highway (WEH) by adding an extra lane near the Milan subway.
Service road jam-packed with traffic on Friday night
“This work is being done to relieve the congestion that happens daily during peak hours,” said a BMC worker at the site, requesting anonymity. But locals say the project is backfiring. Residents along the service road towards the Milan subway complain that while WEH is being widened, the service road has been narrowed, forcing vehicles and pedestrians into a tighter squeeze.
“We can’t even cross the 10-ft service road without worrying about being hit. Traffic was already heavy, but now, from 5 pm to 9 pm, it’s a nightmare,” said a woman who runs a shop along the stretch.
Traffic congestion on the service road during the peak hours on Thursday. Pic/Madhulika Ram Kavattur
SCLR avoided
The SCLR arm was meant to allow motorists to bypass traffic signals at Hans Bhugra Marg–WEH and Vakola junction. But instead, many still exit at Hans Bhugra Marg and proceed towards Vakola. Additional Municipal Commissioner Abhijit Bangar said, “The widening of the WEH is happening not only because of the traffic congestion from the SCLR, but because the Traffic department had informed us about the bottleneck that has been formed at the landing area of the SCLR, since before its opening. And now with more traffic from SCLR, we hope that the widening will help with the congestion.
End of the SCLR ramp onto WEH towards Borivli; vehicles from the service road block the exit, while WEH widening work continues in the distance, making the service narrower. Pic/Satej Shinde
The newly widened 3.5-metre lane will be used by traffic coming from below the Western Express Highway, i.e., from Nehru Road. This arrangement is expected to ease the ‘scissor effect’ and allow vehicles on the service road to move smoothly in both directions — either towards the Milan subway via the service road or onto the main carriageway.”
Auto drivers say they rarely use the santacruz-chembur link road extension
Ravi Yadav, auto driver
‘We get stuck while getting off it, and now with WEH expansion and the service road narrowed, it’s worse. We sit for 15 minutes just to cover the 100-metre patch to the Milan subway.’
Safik Ul, auto driver
‘I’ve only taken the SCLR extension twice, at noon when there was no traffic. Otherwise, it’s always jammed. Widening WEH won’t help at all. Earlier, the service road had a wider start before the WEH work began, which allowed vehicles to move more easily, even though it narrowed to just 10 ft in the middle. But this new initiative has made the start of the road really narrow. With multiple cars and autos flooding the area during peak hours, and pedestrians trying to cross the cramped stretch, it has become too difficult to travel that way’
Pedestrians at risk
Head Constable Sunil Mohan Bhatt, who manages traffic at the spot
The narrowed service road has also made it difficult for people to reach the pedestrian subway. Without proper footpaths, pedestrians are forced to walk on the road amid honking traffic. Sources at the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) said the agency has “nothing to do” with the widening work. mid-day reached out to the BMC ward office and Additional Commissioner Abhijit Bangar for a response, but received no reply before going to print.
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