Nightmarish ride for motorists using Kalwa Bridge in Thane

With work on the new Kalwa Bridge still under way, the one-minute stretch of the second Kalwa Bridge, a major link between Thane and Navi Mumbai, and further to Mumbai-Pune Expressway, now takes one hour to cross; motorists commuting between Thane and Navi Mumbai have to face a nightmare every day on this stretch

With work on the new Kalwa Bridge still under way, the one-minute stretch of the second Kalwa Bridge, a major link between Thane and Navi Mumbai, and further to Mumbai-Pune Expressway, now takes one hour to cross.

The Kalwa Bridge in Thane is full of potholes, adding to the nightmarish experience for motorists. (PRAFUL GANGURDE/HT PHOTO)

Kalwa residents and office goers commuting between Thane and Navi Mumbai have to face a nightmare every day on this stretch.

This is the only convenient stretch between the two cities as the second option is the Thane-Anand Nagar-Airoli link that is not only long for Ghodbunder residents but also includes two toll nakas, making it not feasible for those commuting on a daily basis.

Currently, the traffic in both directions is focused on the existing bridge, thus creating a bottleneck and slowing down of traffic. To add to the chaos, the roads on this route are in a poor condition with potholes, further slowing down the flow of vehicles on this route.

“It took me almost one-and-a-half hours to just clear the bottleneck at the start of Kalwa junction and cross over to Thane. This is otherwise just a minute’s distance. Whereas, in less than an hour, I managed to go from Vashi to Kalwa. The potholes on this route lead to slowing down of traffic, creating a backlog,” said Preeta Nair, 44, a resident of Majiwada and a regular commuter from Vashi.

The Thane Municipal Corporation has planned a bridge on this route that is almost 2.40km long and will benefit those travelling to Navi Mumbai and Pune.

The deadline for this was May 2022 as per the TMC. Claims were made to complete the work before monsoon and open one leg of the Kalwa Bridge to ease traffic. Residents staying near Kharegaon and Kalwa, which is on the other end of the bridge, are the most affected as they have to bear the traffic on a daily basis.

“What will one do in case of emergencies. Just to cross the bridge takes around 45 minutes even during non-peak hours due to the presence of heavy vehicles on this route. In the afternoon, the heavy vehicles create a backlog on this route, thus creating traffic snarls till evening peak hours as well,” said Jignesh Thakkar, a resident of Kharegaon.

The new proposed bridge has three legs originating from the Police Commissioner’s Office, Saket Road and Central Jail from the Thane end, which then goes on to an elevated bridge that goes across the creek to land at Kalwa Junction. An extension of the same will be at the Municipal Hospital a few meters ahead.

“Flyovers always lead to congestion points at the end junctions. Creating traffic diversions by keeping one lane dedicated to outgoing vehicles from Mulund toll naka to Kharegaon toll naka can be one of the solutions. Further, the traffic department should ensure that heavy vehicles follow the lane discipline so small vehicles or ambulances can ply easily,” said Pramod Nimbalkar, retired deputy city engineer, Thane.

Meanwhile, Dutta Kamble, DCP (traffic), Thane, said, “Heavy vehicles are permitted in the city between 12 noon and 4pm. This is the reason you find heavy vehicles on this route heading to or from JNPT. Moreover, there are many potholes that are being filled by the respective authorities. However, as this is one of the busiest stretches, pothole-filing work is still underway on this route.”

Thane civic authorities were not available for a clear response on the completion of the New Kalwa Bridge.

“We are working towards finishing the two-lane arm from Thane Commissioner’s Office to Kalwa Naka at the earliest,” said a civic officer.

A senior civic officer from TMC added, “The process of filling potholes is under way. The respite from rain will help fasten the process and we hope to complete filling all the potholes in our jurisdiction by the weekend.”