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Another bridge at Patripool will ease traffic congestion: MSRDC to railways
The increasing traffic and chaos on Patripool bridge in Kalyan have prompted the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Limited (MSRDC) to propose a third
The increasing traffic and chaos on Patripool bridge in Kalyan have prompted the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Limited (MSRDC) to propose a third bridge.
It has written to Central Railway for permission to build an additional bridge at Patripool.
The British-era bridge was dismantled last year after it was tagged dangerous.
Vehicles are using the second bridge, which was constructed in 2000, to reduce the load on the old one.
Keeping in mind the increasing traffic, MSRDC is planning to build an 11-m-wide and 111-m-long bridge between the two existing bridges.
The proposal has been sent to Central Railway for approval.
“The estimated cost of the bridge is ₹40 crore. The bridge is always crowded and faces traffic problems. Keeping in mind the increasing population in these areas, we have proposed another bridge to the Central Railway. This will make it a six-lane bridge, easier for smooth traffic flow,” said Ram Jaiswar, executive engineer, MSRDC.
An official from the Central Railway confirmed the development.
“We have received the proposal but cannot comment on it yet,” said the official, on condition of anonymity.
A two-lane bridge will be built in place of the old dismantled bridge.
The bridge adjacent to this is used now. Constructed 19 years ago, it was built for single-lane traffic but after the old bridge was dismantled traffic has been allowed both ways.
According to the new proposal submitted by MSRDC on July 21, another bridge between the two bridges will ease traffic congestion. This will not hamper the work of the under-construction bridge, said the MSRDC in the proposal.
Around 1 lakh vehicles from Kalyan, Dombivli, Ulhasnagar and Bhiwandi use Patripool bridge daily.
As per the traffic police, vehicles on the bridge will increase in the next 10 to 20 years.
Since the old bridge was dismantled, commuters have been facing traffic snarls every day.
“The bridge and the approach road is so congested that it takes an hour to cross the whole stretch, which is very narrow. There is a bottleneck at the Dombivli-end. We are waiting for the new bridge to make our commute smoother,” said Sayali Anchan, resident of Kalyan’s Kachore gaon.
Vehicle count in the regional transport office (RTO), Kalyan, has increased from 5 lakh in 2013 to around 9 lakh in 2018.
“All types of vehicles use the bridge after the old bridge was dismantled. Vehicles from Kalyan, Dombivli, Bhiwandi, Thane, Navi Mumbai and Mumbai ply on the route. The stretch has become very congested. It is difficult for one person to control traffic during peak hours,” said traffic warden Harshad Patil, 32, who was on duty at Patripool bridge.
The slow pace of bridge construction has irked commuters. “They had said the bridge would be built by April 2020. With the slow pace of work, I don’t think they will be able to meet the deadline,” said Rohan Mhatre, resident of MIDC Colony, Dombivli.
