PWD plans to develop FOB at Turbhe on Sion-Panvel Highway

From next year, the residents of Turbhe will not have to cross the busy Sion-Panvel Highway risking their lives as the state PWD has planned to develop a FOB in the area

From next year, the residents of Turbhe will not have to cross the busy Sion-Panvel highway risking their lives as the state Public Works Department (PWD) has planned to develop a foot over bridge (FOB) in the area.

Turbhe residents will not have to risk their lives crossing the busy Sion-Panvel Highway as the PWD plans to develop a FOB in the area. (BACHCHAN KUMAR/HT PHOTO)

Over the past three months, the PWD conducted multiple surveys in that area and also prepared a detailed project report (DPR) of the proposed FOB.

A senior officer from PWD said, “The local residents of Turbhe have long been demanding a FOB to cross the highway there. Due to the lack of such an infrastructure, now they have to cross the busy highway risking their lives. Quite a few people met with accidents while crossing the road like that in the past. Therefore, taking the gravity of the issue into consideration, we are planning to develop a FOB across the highway.”

“We sent the DPR for reviewing by our higher authorities a few days ago and will start working at the site as soon as we receive their approval. The site we have selected for the FOB is very close to the area where the Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (MRIDC) is widening a flyover on the highway. We will need a budget of around ₹1Cr for this project,” the officer further said.

According to traffic officials, around two lakh vehicles ply on Sion-Panvel highway daily. The 25 km long highway connects Greater Mumbai with the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and Mumbai-Goa Highway via Navi Mumbai.

Suresh Waghmare, 43, a resident of Turbhe said, “The residents of this area are being forced to cross the highway for the past several years. Initially, the number of vehicles plying on the road was not so high and hence it was not so risky to cross it. The number of vehicles has increased manifold in the past decade and now it is next to impossible to cross the highway specifically during peak hours. We are glad that PWD is now thinking of developing a FOB in this area.”