THANE: Thousands of
motorists and bus commuters driving daily could possibly be relieved of the frustrating que-up at the entry points as work on
widening of the
Kopri rail-over-bridge could start by this month end.
Guardian minister Eknath Shinde chaired a meeting of officals from the state PWD, MMRDA and the TMC in Mantralaya on Thursday to clear administrative obstacles which lead to adding two lanes on each side, making it a seamless eight-lane bridge at Kopri.
Thorny issues on the costs, the tendering process etc were ironed out before the commencement of this multi-crore project starts next month, the minister said. "We have received four tenders for this project and we will finalise it in a week or two. While the first phase of the project will be the actual construction of the four lanes, parallel to the existing rail-over- bridge, it will be followed by the repair work of the existing bridge. We are also going to build a subway near Dnyansadhana college to ease the traffic congestion. While the project will start before the first week of February, it should be completed in two-and-a-half to three years," Shinde told TOI.
Over the past few years, the Kopri area has witnessed mega traffic jams as vehicles speeding on the eight lane
Eastern Express Highway have to converge at the narrow four-lane Kopri
ROB causing tremendous traffic congestion and wastage of commuter's time at morning and evening peak hours.
Often this traffic jam spills over to the nearby bottlenecks including the Teen Hath Naka junction and the Anand Nagar Toll naka, thus adding to the congestion and delay there.
Shinde also announced the detailed plan for Wadala-Ghatkopar-Kasarvadawli Metro should be finalised soon.
File photo
