BMC to demolish 18 structures to decongest Behrambaug junction

In an effort to resolve the traffic woes on the arterial SV Road, the BMC plans to resolve the bottleneck on the busy Behrambaug junction. The civic body will demolish 18 structures on a 50-metre stretch of the junction, to help widen the road by over 30 feet. Experts have lauded the move and said that it needs to be executed at the earliest.

The Behrambaug junction sees heavy traffic at peak hours, and there have been several attempts to decongest it. Pic/Shadab Khan

SV Road is one of the most important roads connecting Bandra to Dahisar. Several attempts have been made to help clear the traffic jams on it. Now, the BMC will try to decongest the 50-metre patch at Behrambaug junction near Jogeshwari. "This is a very old bottleneck and that is why we have targeted it. Once the way is clear, we plan to widen the north-bound stretch by 20 feet and south-bound by 15 feet," informed Parag Masurkar, assistant commissioner, K-west ward.

Also read: BMC to unclog arterial SV Road by widening three bottlenecks

However, there are two large commercial structures on the north-bound side and a chawl and other structures on the south-bound side. Thus, a total of 18 structures will be affected by the project. The civic body is now in the process of identifying residents eligible for rehabilitation, following which the demolition will begin. "It's a lengthy process but it will not only unclog SV Road, but will also help ease the traffic load on JVLR," informed Masurkar.

Also read: This cow stopped traffic on Mumbai road for 4 hours at SV Road!

Appreciating the move, Mohammed Afzal, a transport expert who resides in Behrambaug, said, "This move was much needed, since it will help traffic going towards the island city, as well as the north. In fact, the ward officer was supposed to do a joint inspection in the area about two months ago. That hasn't happened yet. Hope they speed up the work."