Mumbai, Aug. 27 -- After spending Rs.1,104 crore to build it, the arterial Santacruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR) was supposed to provide seamless, signal-free vehicular movement between the eastern and western suburbs. The reality, however, is quite contradictory. Days after the inauguration of the much hyped cable-stayed bridge extension of the SCLR onto the Western Express Highway (WEH), there are as many as half a dozen choke points (see graphic) along the entire 6.45-km corridor. The latest choke point is at the landing point of the cable-stayed bridge on the WEH in Santacruz, where traffic from three roads converges-the new bridge, the WEH, and its service road. Officials from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which built the SCLR, attributed this to incomplete road widening work by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) at the bridge landing point, the Mumbai traffic police blamed the rumblers on the bridge. "Instead of slowing the speed of the vehicles, it was killing the speed due to which the vehicles had to stop, causing traffic jams," said Anil Kumbhare, joint commissioner of police (traffic). Following discussions with other stakeholders, the rumblers were removed on Tuesday. It remains to be seen whether this helps motorists like Srabana Lahiri, 56, who missed her flight to Bengaluru on August 14 after her cab driver decided to take the newly opened SCLR extension to reach Terminal 1 of the Mumbai airport. "As we took the bridge, we soon got stuck in the middle for at least 90 minutes. If I had taken the old route, I would have made it to the airport on time," she said....