No respite in sight for traffic in Andheri

Vehicles in the region are being diverted to other roads, because large sections of J P Road have been blocked in order to facilitate construction of the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Metro corridor

No respite in sight for traffic in Andheri

Vehicles in the region are being diverted to other roads, because large sections of J P Road have been blocked in order to facilitate construction of the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Metro corridor

It seems that the residents staying in Seven Bungalow, Four Bungalow and Lokhandwala in Andheri (West) will have to face traffic related problems for at least four more months, due to a concatenation of construction related events. The traffic situation in Andheri (West), which is already in a sorry state due to the ongoing construction work of the 11.7 km Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar (VAG) Metro line has now worsened, after the closure of the 500- metre long stretch leading towards Andheri on JP Road, between the Four Bungalow Junction and the Indian Oil Junction.

Traffic snarl: The ongoing construction work of the 11.7 km
Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Metro line has worsened the traffic situation
in Andheri

Another 500-metre long stretch on the same road has been closed between the Four Bungalow Junction and the Seven Bungalow BEST Bus depot. Due to these blockages, commuters plying on the J P Road have to use a roundabout route via Juhu Galli Road to reach Andheri station-- a drive which takes almost an hour. The situation is exacerbated due to the fact that the construction of the Barfiwala flyover is under way on Juhu Galli Road, as a result of which parts of it have been cordoned off.

Paras Yadav (40), a businessmen from Lokhandwala, said, "Earlier I used to reach the Andheri station in 30 minutes, using the JP Road. But traffic on the route is being diverted because of the ongoing Metro rail work. Now, I have to travel to Juhu JVPD and then use the Juhu Galli Road to reach the Andheri station. This entire commute takes me an hour, and on bad days one-and-a-half hours. The Barfiwala flyover work is also in progress at the Juhu Galli Road. This means that only a part of the road is accessible, as a result of which only one car can travel at a time on the road."

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and the Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL), organisations that are constructing the Metro corridor, had already cordoned off the JP Road stretch between the Indian Oil Junction and the Four Bungalow Junction 45 days ago, causing traffic snarls in the area. Now, with the closing of the JP Road Stretch between Four Bungalow and the Seven Bungalow BEST Bus depot, traffic problems in the area have escalated.

Over the last two years, the traffic scenario has been gradually going from bad to worse in Andheri (West) owing to barricaded roads and diverted traffic to facilitate the ongoing Metro work. According to MMRDA officials, the 1 km stretch of JP Road leading from the Seven Bungalow BEST Bus Depot to the Indian Oil Junction will be shut down for two more months. This does not bode well for residents of Lokhandwala, Four Bunglow and Seven Bunglow areas, who will be facing bumper-to-bumper traffic during peak hours.

"Workers are on the job round the clock to complete the work at the earliest. I am sure that we will open the roads to the public before the monsoons, so that motorist aren't inconvenienced," said MMRDA Joint Project Director Dilip Kawatkar.

Commuter speak
Versova-based businessman Wasim Shaikh (28), said, "Traffic jams on the stretch have become a daily affair. I feel that these problems will only be solved when the Metro construction work is finished, as well as work on the Barfiwala flyover at Juhu Galli Road. Due to construction work there is also tremendous air pollution in the area. Every time I travel on the stretch, I pull up the windows of my car up to escape the dust."

A police constable stationed at Four Bungalow said on condition of anonymity, "During peak hours 5,000 to 7,000 vehicles pass on the two lanes of the JP Road. This situation will continue till the months of August and September."

MMRDA and MMOPL have given themselves till the month of October 2011 to complete the entire civil work VAG Metro Corridor. According to MMRDA officials, the trial run of the metro trains will start by November, and Mumbaikars will be able to avail of metro services by January 2012.

Realty repercussions
Reverberations of the metro construction work can also be felt on the real estate quarters. Since large scale redevelopment work is underway around Seven Bungalows, Four Bungalows, RTO and Model Town area, buyers who are approaching real estate agents to book flats are making it very clear that they only want possession of their flats after the VAG Metro rail starts plying. Speaking to MiD DAY, Ratnakar Ahire from Unity Ventures said, "The rates in the Four Bungalow area is between Rs 11,000 and Rs 12,000 per square feet area. Most of the buyers approaching us are demanding that they want possession of the house only after the metro train starts running. This is because of the sorry traffic situations in the area. But once the metro starts running, the property rates in this area will touch the sky."

Barfiwala flyover
The Northern arm of the Barfiwala flyover, which is 190 metres long, will be thrown open to traffic in June. Till then, motorists plying on the Juhu Galli Road will have to face traffic problems. A study has estimated that once both the arms of the flyover are ready, 70,000 vehicles will be plying on Andheri's SV Road Junction. One of the important benefits of this flyover is that it will help traffic cross the junction without being stalled by any traffic signals, on the way to JVPD area from Andheri (East).