31 October,2011 08:13 AM IST | | Ranjeet Jadhav
After many inordinate delays, the Suman Nagar and Barfiwala flyovers will be open to motorists in January, easing the flow of traffic in the city
Motorists gearing up to use the Suman Nagar flyover in Chembur and the Barfiwala flyover in Andheri will not have to wait for long. They will be able to use them in January, when the flyovers are likely to become operational. Earlier, commuters had expected to use the flyovers by December itself.u00a0u00a0
New beginnings: The Suman Nagar flyover, which was started in
November 2005, will finally see the light of day in January, after finishing
touches have been added. File pic
Confirming the same, Joint Project Director, MMRDA, Dilip Kawatkar said, "The monsoon is over and now we will carry out the concretisation work on the flyovers and add finishing touches. By December end, all the work will be completed and motorists will be able to use the flyovers by January, which will help motorists going towards Pune, Nashik, Navi Mumbai via the Eastern Express Highway."
According to Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) officials, the opening of the Suman Nagar flyover on the Eastern Express Highway was delayed after controversies erupted over potholes on the newly constructed Lalbaug flyover, the longest in the city. Some motorists and experts had even raised questions over the quality of materials used and the efficiency of the MMRDA when it came to infrastructure projects.u00a0
Bottleneck
The three-lane flyover in Chembur will provide much needed respite to commuters, as the junction creates a major bottleneck every day. Similarly, commuters stuck in traffic snarls at Andheri owing to the Barfiwali flyover will also be provided some relief.
The actual work on the Suman Nagar flyover started in November 2005, and at that time the estimated cost of the project was Rs 16.65 crore and MMRDA was confident of completing the project within 12 months. However, several inordinate delays marred the completion of the project.
Meanwhile, the four-lane flyover in Andheri was commissioned in 2006 and the MSRDC was asked to construct it. The cost was pegged at Rs 24 crore. However, the project got stuck in land acquisition issues and the cost spiralled to Rs 42.5 crore.
