Mumbai is dependent on a few corridors for vehicles to enter and leave the city. Two such corridors towards the northern end are the Ghodbunder Road and Vasai Creek Bridge, which lead to the Western Express Highway (WEH). To decongest these entry points, the Maharashtra Government on Monday approved an alternative corridor between Bhayandar and Gaimukh. To be built at Rs 17,000 crore, the partly elevated and partly underground corridor will be an alternative to the Ghodbunder Road and WEH.
The new stretch will serve as a quick connectivity point intunewith the rapid development of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region’s (MMR) suburbs.
Project overview
The Bhayandar-Gaimukh corridor is divided into two parts.
Thefirst, beginning from the Bhayandar end, is a creek bridge that will stretch 15 kilometres from Bhayandarto the Fountain Hotel Junction.The second leg of the journey, between the Fountain Hotel Junction and Gaimukh, continues via underground twin tunnels for around 6 km.
The six-lane corridor between Bhayandar and Gaimukh targets a seamless journey to and from Mumbai through the north.
Total length:15.44 km
Elevated Creek Bridge from Bhayandar to Fountain Hotel Junction: 9.58 km; 3+3 lanes
Underground Route from Fountain Hotel Junction to Gaimukh: 5.86 km; 3+3 twin tunnels
How it will help
The 16-km route between Bhayandar and Gaimukh is also one of the most congested entry points into Mumbai.
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Currently, the journey between Bhayandar and Gaimukh takes anywhere between 30 minutes at the minimum to over an hour with increasing traffic. Traffic on the Ghodbunder Road is an almost perpetual phenomenon, prolonging the journey between the two suburbs.
Through Ghodbunder Road, traffic enters from Thane, Kalyan, Dombivli, Bhiwandi and other eastern suburbs.
At the Hotel Fountain Junction, vehicles enter from Vasai, Virar,Palghar and other northern suburbs, as well asfrom Gujarat along the NH-48.
This long-distance traffic, as well as local traffic, causes the time taken to cover the short distance to stretch into hours. With the access-controlled corridor directly connecting Bhayandar and Gaimukh, there will be another alternative to the congested roads and a separation of local traffic. Hence, entering Mumbai through the city’s north will take just around 20 minutes.
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The Metro Line 10 is also coming up along this route, further reducing traffic.
Timeline:5 years
Cost:Rs 17,036.03 crore
Construction cost:Rs 12,947.40 crore
Private land needed:57.76 Hectares
Land acquisition costs:Rs 713.94 crore
Funding
To be built on a PPP basis
60% by private concessionaire
40% of the cost will be covered by Viability Gap Funding — half from the central government and half from the state government
Executing agency
Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA)
MMRDA has also been appointed as Special Planning Authority (SPA) for theinfluence area of the project.The project is under the scrutiny of the Network Planning Group (NPG) under the PM Gati Shakti initiative.
Next step
Cost approvals from the central government and tenderingexercise.
Official speak
“Since the Mumbai North Coastal Road Project terminates near the Uttan Road Junction, and the majority of traffic enters Mumbai via the Ghodbunder Junction, connectivity between Bhayandar and Ghodbunder is required to establish an alternative route to the Western Express Highway. This proposed elevated road will distribute regional and local traffic more efficiently and improve the resilience of the road network,” says the Government Resolution approving the project.
