Mumbai: The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) will soon undertake the construction of the six-lane creek bridge connecting Vasai West to Bhayandar West.
The bridge was first proposed in 2019 but has seen light of the day after almost a year and MMRDA is finally in the stage of floating a tender and aims to complete the work by September 2024.
According to MMRDA, the total length of the bridge is 4.98 km and breadth is 30.60 metres. The estimated cost of the project is pegged at Rs 1,501.16 crore.
Moreover, a new detailed report will be prepared considering future traffic congestion. A private firm, Stoop Consultants, has been appointed for the same. The bridge is part of the extended Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP).
A senior MMRDA official said, “The creek bridge will act as a crucial connectivity once ready. The entire bridge will be over water except the entry-exit points that will be accessed via road.”
In addition, for the bridge’s construction, about 7.76 hectares of salt pan land will be required. Of which 2.44 hectares are in Bhayandar and 1 hectare in Naigaon.
MMRDA has already sent a proposal for transfer of the salt pan land and is pending for valuation of the land before the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), a central government body.
Meanwhile, commuters are eagerly waiting for the new creek bridge. Sanjay Barot, trustee at Learning Space in Ganesh Puri, travels from Santacruz to Ganeshpuri every alternate day. He said, “I usually get stuck at the Vasai bridge, some time for over an hour depending on the traffic condition.
Moreover, the bridge situation is terrible, especially during monsoon. Thus, the need for a new creek bridge connecting Bhayandar and Naigoan is immediate. It will connect the costal road and decongest the main highway, providing major relief to commuters like me.”
Similarly, Neville Buhariwala, a Mumbai resident who has a factory unit at Vapi said, “The old bridge is congested throughout the day and is under constant repairs.
Eventually wasting time and fuel of travellers. Also, the existing bridge seems to be in dangerous condition, therefore, the new proposed bridge work should be taken on war footing.”
