The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has started the construction work of a new flyover for airport commuting, which would facilitate signal-free traffic. This new bridge coming up adjacent to existing Vile Parle bridge will drastically reduce airport travel time. According to officials, 70 per cent of the construction work of the 'Airport Terminal - T1' new bridge has been attained so far. The authority has also achieved a significant milestone with the recent launch of girders on the busiest Western Express Highway (WEH) — without any trestle support on road, and causing affecting the traffic, said a source from the MMRDA-appointed contractor's team (M/s RPS Infraprojects Private Limited), requesting anonymity. The total length of spans is 74merers (46 mt & 28 mt) launched without a temporary support from the ground or road level in the middle — all constructed with robust steel substructures and superstructures. An inverted T arrangement was adopted on the steel portal beams for raising the girders, preventing temporary support in the middle. The new design and technique for the launch of "very heavy" steel girders were one-of-a-kind, in the execution. In fact, the design introduced a revolutionary temporary arrangement scheme, eliminating the need for ground-based support during the girder launch. The groundbreaking method has played a pivotal role in ensuring uninterrupted traffic at an important junction near the airport's Terminal 1 for domestic flights — bypassing traditional support systems, said the source. The MMRDA has initiated the construction of a two-lane one-way flyover for the Bandra-bound traffic from the airport's Terminal 2 for international flights, at a cost of Rs 48.43 crore. The total length of the under-construction flyover is 615 metres and width (8 metres) over two lanes. Once open to the traffic, the flyover will ensure a signal-free traffic for people commuting travelling from the airport to Bandra.
