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Journalism of Courage
After waiting for nearly five years for the promised signal-free ride from south Mumbai to Chembur and back,the first phase of the Eastern Freeway was opened to public Friday afternoon.
Traffic was considerably thin as people were not aware the freeway had been opened.
The road cuts commuting time from Chembur to south Mumbai to under 20 minutes,
Those who used the freeway had pleasant experiences.
I came from Chembur and didnt even realise when I reached the freeway. The location is beautiful and I could see the skyline. It felt like I was somewhere outside Mumbai, said Rufsana Siddiqui (38) from Malad.
The first phase of the freeway includes a 9.3-km elevated road from Orange Gate to Anik near Wadala,followed by four of eight lanes of Anik-Panjarpol Link Road,which includes a tunnel.
In the second phase,the MMRDA will open another 2-km elevated road from Panjarpol to Ghatkopar and four more lanes of Anik-Panjarpol Link Road by yearend.
The freeway was not opened Thursday as MMRDA was yet to pull down a pandal erected on the elevated section of the freeway for the chief minister and other dignitaries.
MMRDA officials had estimated the work of pulling down the canopy would take longer and the freeway would be opened only by Saturday.
MMRDA required two cranes,hundred workers and 17 hours to remove the rain-proof pandal, said MMRDA spokesperson Dilip Kawathkar.
mumbai.newsline@expressindia.com
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