Thakurli rail overbridge opening set to rejig Dombivli’s traffic

Although motorists have been demanding that the railway overbridge (ROB) connecting Thakurli and Dombivli be opened up, the bridge is likely to introduce new diversions, no-parking zones and one-way routes in the city.

According to the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC), once the bridge is inaugurated, the civic body and the traffic police will jointly impose a change in traffic flow at SV Joshi School Road, Saraswat Colony, Pendse Nagar, Kanvinde Chowk, Chedda Road, VP Road, Manjunath Chowk and Sambhaji Maharak Path. It will be implemented after getting the nod from higher authorities of the traffic department.

Authorities also plan to impose restrictions on parking at Kanvinde Chowk, VP Road, Manjunath Chowk, Gurumandir Road and Chedda Road, which means motorists will need to look for new places to park their vehicles. Moreover, heavy vehicles will not be allowed to ply on the new ROB; they will be diverted to the old Ramnagar Bridge.

“In Dombivli (East), the roads leading to the ROB are narrow and crunched between residential buildings and shops. There is a need to ensure that the traffic movement on these roads is managed well once the ROB is open,” said Manjula Nair, a 45-year-old resident of Pendse Nagar.

The 12-metre bridge being built by the Central Railway and KDMC, located between Thakurli and Dombivli railway stations, will be extended to SV Joshi School in Dombivli (East) and Bara Bungla, Mahatma Gandhi Road in Dombivli (West). The estimated cost of the project is ₹42.56 crore of which CR’s share is ₹9.5 crore. It is meant to ease congestion across the city while providing east-west connectivity between Dombivli and Thakurli. Currently, motorists use the Thakurli station level crossing gate and the old Ramnagar Bridge to commute between the east and west.

Although the ROB has not been formally opened by KDMC, bikers use the bridge daily to avoid the level crossing and the Ramnagar Bridge. “The ROB will be a boon for motorists. However, there is a need to plan the traffic flow in the eastern part of the city as there are narrow lanes that lead to the ROB,” said Vishwanath Biwalkar, a resident of Dombivli and founder of Eagle Brigade Foundation, a social group. Biwalkar said during monsoon, these narrow roads develop potholes which need to be fixed for smooth traffic flow. “Traffic personnel should be deployed at the ROB entrance to ensure that heavy vehicles do not ply on the bridge.”

Gautam Gambhire, senior inspector of Dombivli traffic police, said, “The bridge will ease congestion only if the traffic diversions are imposed properly. We will ensure that heavy vehicles do not take the new ROB and are diverted to the old bridge.”