Mumbai, Aug. 18 -- Mumbai chief minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated two key infrastructure projects via a video link from the Sahyadri Guest House, with deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar present. He opened the final Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC)-Vakola arm of the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR) Phase two and commissioned the Chembur Metro station on Metro Line 2B. He launched Arjuna, the second tunnel boring machine (TBM) for the Thane-Borivali twin-tunnel road project.
The SCLR link on Bharat Nagar Road will improve connectivity out of the Bandra-Kurla Complex and help regulate traffic. Six links had been planned in 2017-18 to decongest the Bandra-Kurla Complex, but eight were ultimately created, with the last inaugurated on the day. The chief minister said further measures were needed to ensure smooth traffic on the Western Express Highway.
The twin tunnels are being built to provide a direct east-west road connection between Thane and Borivali, and are expected to reduce travel time from about 60 to 90 minutes to around 12 to 15 minutes. The first TBM, Nayak, was launched in April and Arjuna will now work alongside it from respective ends to accelerate tunnelling. The use of two tunnel boring machines is intended to fast-track completion after several obstacles were overcome.
An elevated connector in the G-Block area of the Bandra-Kurla Complex was also inaugurated and is expected to provide faster connectivity and reduce travel time for motorists. The Chembur Metro station on Metro Line 2B will integrate with existing links to ease commuter movement across the eastern suburbs.
The Union government has approved procurement of 238 new air-conditioned suburban local trains under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP), with the first batch expected by 2027 and all new trains to be introduced by 2029-30. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and other agencies are implementing the projects to ease congestion and upgrade urban transport. An infrastructure facility was named after former Maharashtra chief minister Babasaheb Bhosale and the chief minister said contributors to the state's development should be remembered.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Construction World.