BMC to reconstruct Parel TT bridge

Recently, the BMC built an elevated road between the Hindamata flyover and the Parel TT bridge to ensure smooth traffic during waterlogged monsoons

Mumbai In what will be a major inconvenience for commuters on Babasaheb Ambedkar road at Parel TT junction, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to reconstruct the Parel TT flyover.

BMC will retain the pillars of the existing flyover at the junction - which will keep the traffic at the junction free flowing - and demolish the overhead carriageway and ramps (Pratik Chorge/HT Photo)

The flyover, which helps to decongest the BA road at the junction, sees heavy traffic snarls at peak hours, sometimes taking a commuter over 10 minutes to travel a mere 100-metre stretch. Recently, the BMC built an elevated road between the Hindamata flyover and the Parel TT bridge to ensure smooth traffic during waterlogged monsoons.

However, authorities said that it is a necessary project. The cost of the project is about ₹16 crore. BMC will retain the pillars of the existing flyover at the junction - which will keep the traffic at the junction free flowing - and demolish the overhead carriageway and ramps. The civic body will construct walls on both landing sides, fill them up with concrete, then re-lay the carriageway. The bridge was constructed in around 1980, and over the years, the joints have eroded causing the surface to become uneven. The large number of joints means a bumpy experience for commuters, and even scope for potholes during monsoon. The project will likely not be taken up before monsoon, and will take six months for completion.

Satish Thosar, chief engineer of the bridges department, said, “The project has been taken up to reduce the number of joints on the bridge, so the surface remains smoother. The joints will be reduced from 44 to four. It is especially difficult in the monsoon, when water causes erosion of the carriageway around the joints.”

Thosar added, “The junction will have free-flowing traffic, as the pillars are not being demolished. Work will be completed within six months.”

Commuters said that while it is necessary to make sure the surface of the bridge is smooth and free of potholes, this junction is important as it gives an east-west connectivity, along with the Tilak Bridge at Dadar.

Keyur Marolia, a commuter who lives in Prabhadevi, said, “I take the Elphinstone [rail-over-bridge] bridge frequently to travel toward Matunga, and this junction is always clogged. The Delisle bridge at Lower Parel is also not functional. So more traffic at this junction will mean longer time to commute.”