"Unlike other projects, several complexities are involved in the Sewri-Worli connector project," said MMRDA commissioner S V R SrinivasThe Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is currently carrying out the construction of the Sewri-Worli connector flyover, which is an extension of the under-construction MTHL (Mumbai Trans Harbour Sealink) set to be ready by 2023. The connector will help disperse the traffic and prevent a bottleneck once the MTHL is opened to the public.
A look at the project: The 4.5-km flyover will connect the under-construction Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link with the Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL), cutting down an hour’s travel time between the two points to just 10 minutes. It is a 2+2 lane flyover that is coming up at a height of 27 metres, roughly the height of a 10-storeyed building. The flyover passes above the Eastern Freeway, the flyover on Dr Ambedkar Rd and over Parel and Prabhadevi railway stations.
The flyover will cut down an hour’s travel to just 10 minutes. Total project cost: Rs 1,051.86 crore
Time period: 36 months up to January 2024. Work on the ground began in January 2021.
Project status: 25.77% of physical work progress attained so far.
Significance: The project will provide direct connectivity for the upcoming MTHL project with the existing Bandra-Worli Sea Link and the upcoming Coastal Road project on the west coast of Mumbai. The connector is part of the MTHL project’s traffic dispersal system and will ease 15 per cent of the vehicular traffic.
The flyover will help disperse the traffic and prevent a bottleneck once the MTHL is opened, said MMRDA. Alignment: Starts from MTHL Sewri Interchange on the east side of Sewri railway station and ends on Narayan Hardikar Road on the Worli West side. The project’s alignment crosses that of the monorail, Parel flyover at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Road and the flyover at Senapati Bapat Road.
Rehabilitation of affected people: In September, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde met local residents who will be affected by the work for the elevated flyover. The residents of around 19 buildings in Parel and Elphinstone have been served notices to vacate the premises. The residents and commercial owners will be relocated. Transit accommodation for project affected people will be provided at Century Bazar Mill Building, Gomata Nagar, Worli and commercial establishments at J Bhandarkar Marg Parel.
What MMRDA says: According to MMRDA commissioner S V R Srinivas, the 4.5-km Sewri-Worli connector will disperse the traffic and prevent a bottleneck once the MTHL is opened. Ensuring seamless and signal-free traffic movement for almost 25.13 km (MTHL+ connector), it will save much time, reduce fuel wastage and increase the work productivity of commuters.
“Unlike other projects, several complexities are involved in the Sewri-Worli connector project. It passes through the Kamgar Nagar slums, R&R in Elphinstone…. it crosses the railway lines and even the monorail. In fact, 800 families of Kamgar Nagar slum have been rehabilitated in the last eight months in an unprecedented move in Mumbai,” he said.