SCLR to now be connected to LBS Marg

The SCLR will be completed shortly. Two bridges on it were inaugurated recently by Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will soon connect the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR) to Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg in a bid to increase north-south connectivity for vehicles. The tender was issued on Thursday

SCLR was a project developed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), and then commissioner T Chandrashekhar, along with the state, had removed scores of hutments to create the bridge over the railway line. It was inaugurated in 2014 by the then chief minister Prithviraj Chavan. (HT PHOTO)

The SCLR will be completed shortly. Two bridges on it were inaugurated recently by Prime Minister Narendra Modi

SCLR was a project developed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), and then commissioner T Chandrashekhar, along with the state, had removed scores of hutments to create the bridge over the railway line. It was inaugurated in 2014 by the then chief minister Prithviraj Chavan.

However, certain stretches on the CST road near Kurla Depot continued to create bottlenecks and traffic snarls. Despite instructions from the then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to remove all shops selling scraps on this road, the BMC’s L ward failed to do so, and four more bridges had to be planned at a cost of nearly ₹1000 crore.

Additional municipal commissioner (projects) P Velrasu said, “This will facilitate the traffic from Bandra via MTNL Junction in BKC to go towards Ghatkopar via LBS Marg avoiding three signal junctions. This will also facilitate the traffic coming from Santacruz via SCLR road to go towards Ghatkopar via LBS Marg avoiding one signal junction.”

The total length of the bridge is 246 metres and it will cost ₹29.38 crore. The work is scheduled to be completed in 24 months.

A senior officer of MMRDA said that four bridges would not have been needed if the BMC’s L ward officers had done their work and kept encroachers away. “Had they managed a small stretch well, we would have saved nearly ₹1,000 crore and used it for metros,” he said. “But this SCLR will now connect the eastern suburbs with Santacruz Airport and the western suburbs in a better way.”

A traffic policeman attached to the Ghatkopar division said that a lot of illegal eating joints had come up on LBS Marg from Kurla depot to Sonapur road. “These are causing huge traffic jams,” he said. “We have repeatedly told the authorities to tackle them, but not much has been done.”