Elevated status for Mohammed Ali Road

MUMBAI, May 29: The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation MSRDC has unveiled plans to elevate the Mohammed Ali Road between J J H...

MUMBAI, May 29: The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation MSRDC has unveiled plans to elevate the Mohammed Ali Road between J J Hospital and Crawford Market. Stretching over 2.4 kms, the elevated road,8217; as it is called, will help vehicles avoid seven road crossings which are a perennial source of traffic jams.

A motorist will, on an average, save 25 minutes of travel, a considerable amount of fuel, and reduce air pollution by using this elevated road, which will start at the signal near J J hospital and end in front of Haj House. At present, it takes approximately 30 to 40 minutes to traverse this distance during peak hours.

Actual work for the road will begin in October this year, and will be completed within 18 months. The estimated cost of the project is nearly Rs 125 crore. The MSRDC is all set to invite tenders from private parties for the project, and a detailed survey and technical study has already been carried out by DAR Consultants, a UK-based company.

The 17-metre wide road willstand on pillars seven metres high erected in the middle of the existing Mohammed Ali Road. It will have two lanes on each side, separated by a metre-wide road divider. Once the road is ready, more than 80 per cent of the 30,000 passenger car units a measure for vehicles using a road will be diverted on it. Digging the existing road won8217;t be a problem, as hardly any water supply line or sewage line passes from under it.

8220;The elevated road is a unique concept, much different from a fly-over, which helps you jump over a crossing. We are jumping over seven crossings here and following the existing road,8221; said R C Sinha, vice-chairman and managing director of MSRDC. 8220;Earlier, there was a plan to construct two fly-overs on the road, one 800 metres long and the other 900 metres long.

But it would have given a motorist a feeling of travelling on a roller coaster. To avoid it, we decided to go for elevation of the road,8221; Sinha said.

He pointed out that the corporation has enough money for the project. Ithas raised about Rs 1,200 crore last year for its ambitious Mumbai-Pune expressway through a public debenture issue. The MSRDC also has an additional loan of Rs 550 crore given by the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority.

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8220;The contractor working on the project will have to ensure strict quality control and meet the 18-month deadline. He will be given an incentive of Rs 1 lakh for each day he saves on the project, and will be charged Rs 1.5 lakh for every additional day he takes for the completion. The contractor will have to use the most modern technology, and these conditions will be part of the tender,8221; Sinha said.