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Dombivli RoB closure will worsen traffic woes: Kalyan corporators
Even as the Central Railway (CR) is likely to shut the Dombivli rail overbridge on August 28, Kalyan corporators have highlighted the ordeal which commuters will
Even as the Central Railway (CR) is likely to shut the Dombivli rail overbridge on August 28, Kalyan corporators have highlighted the ordeal which commuters will face with the decision.
The delay in building the Patripool rail overbridge has worsened the traffic situation.
Corporators of Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) blamed the civic body for the delay in both the projects.
The Dombivli RoB was shut for heavy vehicles on July 12 by the traffic police. The bridge was declared unsafe by the IIT Bombay in May.
On Tuesday, opposing the closure of the Dombivli RoB, Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre, said, “Dombivli is already congested. If the bridge is shut completely, it will worsen traffic situation. If the CR has asked to shut the bridge from August 28, they should allow commuters to use Thakurli level crossing to help ease congestion.”
An official from CR, on condition of anonymity, said, “The closure of Thakurli level crossing was done to improve the timings of trains. The Railways has always provided prior intimation to the civic body and has also discussed the same with them in detail. The closure of the ROB cannot be delayed as it needs to be repaired as it unsafe.”
Once the Dombivli ROB is shut, vehicles will have to take the newly-built Thakurli RoB, which will cause congestion on the narrow roads leading to the ROB.
Last year, the Thakurli level crossing was shut by the railways and vehicles were diverted to the Thakurli RoB.
The civic body chief Govind Bodke blamed CR for the delay in both the projects.
“We have decided to put forward the demand to open the level crossing at Thakurli if CR shuts the Dombivli RoB for all vehicles. The railways is not supporting the projects which have led to the delay,” said Bodke.
The closure of old Patripool RoB has led to heavy congestion on the Kalyan- Shilphata stretch during peak hours.
Earlier, vehicles used a one-lane Patripool bridge, which was 104 years old. It was dismantled in December 2018 after being declared dangerous by the Central Railway (CR).
The CR dismantled the bridge after an IIT-B report termed it unsafe.
The traffic was then diverted on the adjacent Patripool bridge. Since only one bridge is operational now, the vehicles get stuck on the bridge during peak hours. The bridge is narrow and cannot handle two-way traffic flow.
The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has planned to build a new four-lane RoB.
Vehicles ply on the parallel two-lane Patripool bridge.
Rahul Damle, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) corporator, said, “The work of Patripool bridge is delayed and is affecting commuter daily. Now, the Dombivli ROB will be shut for all vehicles in the coming days.”
On Tuesday, traffic on Dombivli RoB was shut for two hours to put height barriers so that heavy vehicles do not ply on the bridge as has been seen in the past few months.
“Height barriers will ensure no heavy vehicles ply on the bridge. Heavy vehicles are diverted on the Thakurli rail overbridge,”said a traffic police officer from Dombivli, who did not wish to be named.
