Marine Drive set to get smoother,bids open

While the tender does not include the civic body’s plan of overhauling the underground storm water drain network,other additions for the beautification of the road’s median,through plantation of exotic trees,have also been sought.

“We will accept bids till December 2. The process to get approval for actual work should be completed in a month after the standing committee gives its nod for the contractor. Once the proposal is cleared,the work is expected to begin in January,” a senior civic official of the roads department said.

According to the tender conditions,the appointed contractors must complete the resurfacing and road improvement works within a span of 10 months,barring the four months of the monsoon season.

Marine Drive passes through wards A (Nariman Point,Fort),C (Chandanwadi) and D (Girgaum Chowpatty) of the island city.

As per the plan,70 per cent of the road from Girgaum Chowpatty to Madame Cama Road will be resurfaced using mechanised mastic. This will include a higher percentage of bitumen to increase the stretch’s life span. The rest of the road,up to the end of Nariman Point,will be concretised.

While the civic body had earlier planned to overhaul the drainage system during the resurfacing work,it was later found to be unfeasible since it would take a minimum of two years for completion and would have doubled the estimated cost of the project in 2012 to nearly Rs 100 crore.

“Now we have planned the resurfacing in such a way that the cracks will be filled in first. The road will then be covered with a layer of geo-synthetic material and thereafter a layer of bitumen-mastic. This should prevent the formation of new cracks in the future and will make the road smoother. Considering the arterial position of the road,we will carry out the work in phases with cooperation from the Mumbai police,” the officer said.

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