THANE: The first phase of the ambitious third Kalwa road bridge over the Thane creek will be made operational by August end ending the traffic snarls at Kalwa naka- a prominent junction on the Mumbai-Thane-Navi Mumbai-Pune route, additional municipal commissioner Sandeep Malvi said Tuesday.
“The final touches to the first phase of the unidirectional 2.4km- long U-shaped bridge from the Thane police commissioner to Kalwa naka and an extended arm that will land near the Kalwa municipal hospital will be completed by August 25 following which the lanes will be open for traffic,” said Malvi following a spot visit with officials and stake holders.
It may be noted that the bridge was designed to ease the massive congestion at Kalwa naka which is a crucial junction on the Mumbai-Thane-Navi Mumbai- JNPT and Pune route as several motorists including heavy vehicles coming from Gujarat prefer to use this route to avoid the toll taxes on the Airoli route that is faster.
“The arm originating from Commissioner office running for over a kilometre till Kalwa naka and another extension that will land at the municipal hospital will be readied soon. Work on the other lanes including the ramp coming from Saket and the elevated lane from Station Creek road are at various stages of completion and will be opened later,” said an official.
It may be recalled the bridge that was first proposed in 2013 has been in the making for several years now. The actual work started in 2014 with a deadline of three years but got delayed due to several pending clearances from the environment, land acquisition and traffic management. The work gained momentum in 2019 and the first phase is now likely to be operational soon.
The project cost has shot up from the initial Rs 169 crore to Rs 183 crore now.
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