BMC to create underground tunnels at 9 junctions
07 Nov 2023 CW Team
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has announced plans to undertake an access road project involving the construction of a network of underground tunnels and horizontal roads at nine key junctions along the Western Express Highway (WEH) and the Eastern Express Highway (EEH). The estimated cost of the project is Rs 29 billion. The main objective of the project is to segregate traffic into two levels. Out of the total budget, Rs 20 billion has been allocated for the construction works at the EEH junction, while Rs 9 billion has been set aside for works at the WEH junctions. As part of this initiative, the civic body intends to build underground tunnels, subways, and horizontal roads similar to underpasses, allowing vehicles to navigate intersections and make U-turns underground.
In the initial phase, BMC has initiated work at nine simple junctions, with three located on the WEH and five on the EEH. The three WEH junctions are situated near Parle Hanuman Road, Sudhir Phadke Flyover, and Milan Subway. On the EEH, the six junctions include Airoli Junction, JVLR Powai Junction, Ghatkopar Junction, Chheda Nagar Junction, as well as U-turn junctions at Kanjurmarg and BKC Connector Extension.
For the second phase, BMC is focusing on four to five complex junctions with multiple intersections on the WEH and one junction on the EEH. The civic body plans to release tenders for the access control project by the end of this month.