Mumbai: Kalanagar junction likely to be snarl free by May

A senior MMRDA official said, “In the meeting, a decision was taken to expedite the work on Kalanagar flyovers.”

Aimed at easing the congestion at the Kalanagar junction in Bandra (East), construction work on three flyovers undertaken by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is set to be completed by April. The flyovers are set to be thrown open for the public in May, officials said.

The MMRDA plan also envisages the construction of a pedestrian walkway to connect Bandra station to Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC).

With 13,000 vehicles passing the Kalanagar junction every hour, it is one of the busiest in the city. The junction witnesses up to 60,000 vehicles during peak traffic hours.

The first flyover will have two lanes and allow commuters travelling from BKC junction towards the sea link to skip both BKC and Kalanagar junctions. A second two-lane flyover will be for traffic from the sea link towards BKC. Both will stretch from the southern end of the Kalanagar flyover on the Western Express Highway (WEH) to BKC junction. A third flyover will connect Sion-Dharavi Link Road to WEH.

All the three flyovers will allow vehicles to bypass Kalanagar junction and allow smooth passage of pedestrians below them. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 277 crore.

On February 24, MMRDA officials had met Mumbai traffic police over the completion of the project and a new plan for building walkways for pedestrians coming from Bandra station, a pathway below the flyover and proper barricades for smooth flow of vehicles. “We had a discussion with MMRDA about improving Kalanagar junction,” Joint Commissioner of Police Madhukar Pandey said.

A senior MMRDA official said, “In the meeting, a decision was taken to expedite the work on Kalanagar flyovers.”