Eastern Freeway to have more entry,exit points

The Eastern Freeway,which has considerably cut down travel time between south Mumbai and Chembur,will soon have more entry and exit points.

The Eastern Freeway,which has considerably cut down travel time between south Mumbai and Chembur,will soon have more entry and exit points. The first additional entry point is likely to be opened in December,when MMRDA completes construction of a bridge over Mahul creek.

Commuters from areas such as Wadala and Chembur-bound vehicular traffic from the Eastern Express Highway will be able to use this bridge to get on the freeway. MMRDA officials said once the third phase of the work is completed,it would also provide Freeway connectivity to areas in Ghatkopar. Similarly,another bridge,being constructed over the Mahul creek to the right of the freeway,is expected to be completed in January.

The arm will provide an exit to commuters coming from Chembur side of the freeway to move towards Wadala Truck Terminus or join the Eastern Express Highway.

The super-structure on the left bridge is almost complete. After that,we will lay the deck slab,install crash barriers and put a bitumen layer. We will complete the road by December-end. The bridge on the other side will be completed in January, said an MMRDA official.

The MMRDA is also completing an at-grade road on the salt pan land about a km away from the Mahul creek bridges.

It is also setting up two ramps from the freeway for additional entry and exit for vehicles from south Mumbai. These are likely to be complete only in May because working on salt pan land is difficult, the official said.

At present,vehicles coming from south Mumbai have to use to a service road that goes through the Bhakti Park residential pocket to exit for Wadala and the Eastern Express Highway. The issue had earlier caused a slight altercation between the MMRDA and a Wadala developer,Anik Development Corp Ltd,who had put up notices and appointed security to ban vehicles from using the service road to the freeway. This is a temporary arrangement. Commuters who currently use this road will be able to use the ramps at the salt pan land by May,and for now,motorists can go a little further up to Panjarpol,take a U-turn on the freeway and use the Mahul creek bridges for entry and exit, the MMRDA official said.

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The work on the Eastern Freeway,which was partially opened in June,is being undertaken in three phase – a 9.3-km elevated road from P DMello Road to Anik near Wadala,a 5-km road from Anik to Panjarpol near Chembur with two tunnels,and a final part from Panjarpol to Ghatkopar.

The third phase is expected to be ready by May. The freeway currently has entries and exits at the southern end,then ramps from the elevated road for traffic towards the Mumbai Port Trust,and linkages at Panjrapol.

The Plan

Mahul creek bridges For traffic from Wadala and Eastern Express Highway to go towards Chembur and Ghatkopar Salt pan land ramps For traffic from south Mumbai to exit to Wadala or Eastern Express Highway

manasi.phadke@expressindia.com

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