One more rail overbridge along Maharashtra’s Patripool

As a part of the widening project of the vital 21-kilometre Kalyan-Shilphata stretch, Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) sanctioned a third Patripool rail overbridge (RoB) on Tuesday.

With this third ROB, the entire Patripool bridge will have six lanes. Approximately 100,000 vehicles ply this stretch every day.

“MSRDC has decided to build another two-lane bridge, which will be the third one. This will make the entire Patripool bridge into six lanes. The decision was made by the seniors and the tender process is already done. The contractors have also been appointed. The work for the third bridge will begin soon,” said Aniruddha Borde, junior engineer, MSRDC. Although an exact date of completion was not given for the third RoB, construction is expected to be completed in 18 months. The third bridge is estimated to cost ₹51.34 crore.

The decision was taken during a meeting held on Tuesday between MSRDC officials and Thane guardian minister, Eknath Shinde. The MSRDC has also decided to concretise the Kalyan-Shilphata stretch, instead of just asphalting it. The authority has sanctioned works worth ₹778.11 crore in the first phase.

“The MSRDC has plans to do six-laning of the entire stretch,” said Shinde, adding that it was “very necessary” to increase the number of lanes to reduce traffic congestion. “The under-construction Patripool bridge is just two lanes and the existing one is also two lanes. A third two-lane bridge will lead to a six-lane Patripool bridge and hence ensure smooth flow of traffic on the stretch once the widening project is over,” he said.

The third bridge will run parallel to the under-construction second Patripool bridge.

Having dismantled the 104-year-old Patripool bridge in November 2018, vehicles have been diverted to the existing narrow Patripool bridge that was built in 2000. The under-construction second bridge is expected to be completed by February 2020.

According to MSRDC , the work currently in progress is worth ₹183 crore. The authority has also sanctioned phase two of the project, which will include widening and concretisation of Manpada chowk, Sonarpada chowk and Badlapur chowk. Phase two will cost ₹194. 47 crore. In addition to this, widening of two new bridges on Desai Creek and all small bridges is planned along with two two-way flyovers at Lodha Junction, the concretisation of 14 major junctions and the construction of 31 bus stations as well as a two-lane ROB at Patripool and Katai junctions.

The existing Patripool bridge is narrow and commuters travelling between Kalyan, Thane, Bhiwandi and Navi Mumbai have complained about the heavy congestion on the Kalyan-Shilphata stretch.

It used to takes 30-45 minutes to travel from Kalyan to Shilphata. Now, it takes more than two hours to cover the same distance.

Activist Sreeniwas Ghanekar said, “Even though the authority has decided to build the third bridge, now it will take years to widen and concretise the entire stretch. Till then, the commuter will have to face congestion on a daily basis.” Ghanekar emphasised the need to implement traffic rules rigorously and plan the traffic movement to reduce congestion. He also suggested the authorities consider building more bridges. “Another six-lane bridge from Kachore gaon, Dombivli, to Kongaon, Bhiwandi, which was cancelled by the MSRDC, needs to be considered and implemented,” said Ghanekar.

First Published: Sep 17, 2019 23:59 IST