Maharashtra CM kickstarts four major projects on Thane-Belapur road

He inaugurated the Ghansoli-Talavli flyover, and the underpass at Mahape. He also commissioned the flyover along Mahape-Savita Chemicals junctions.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday kick started multiple road and infrastructure project works on the Thane-Belapur road, including two flyovers and an underpass.

CM Fadnavis inaugurates the Ghansoli-Talavli flyover on Monday. (HT photo)

Accompanied by Thane guardian minister Eknath Shinde, he inaugurated the Ghansoli-Talavli flyover, and the underpass at Mahape.He also commissioned the flyover along Savita Chemicals.

The two flyovers and underpass had been developed by the MMRDA at the behest of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) in an effort to ease traffic congestion. The flyovers have been constructed on the 1.4 kilometre Ghansoli Naka-Talavali Naka stretch and 575-metre Mahape-Savita Chemicals junctions. The vehicular underpass at Mahape junction is 500 metres.

The collective budget for the three projects is ₹155 crore. While the work had commeneced in March 2015 and had been slated to completed by March 2017, it faced several delays owing to traffic and other issues.

Moreover, Fadnavis also performed the bhoomipujan for the Airoli–Katai Naka elevated road project and tunnel work in Navi Mumbai. The upcoming tunnel is expected to connect TB road and NH4.

This project is expected to connect Navi Mumbai directly to Kalyan, cutting the distance by seven kilometres. This is likely to cut travel time by almost half an hour. The elevated road will be 3.5 km, including a 1.70 km tunnel. The estimated cost of the project is estimated to be ₹385 crore.

Following this, Fadnavis held a public meeting in the MIDC area, along the Airoli road.

The opening of the flyovers is expected to put an end to the frequent traffic snarls witnessed on the six-lane, 15-kilometre Thane-Belapur road.

The road that connects Turbhe in Navi Mumbai to Kalwa in Thane bisects the MIDC industrial area and the nodal areas in the city. It runs parallel to the trans-harbour railway line passing along Airoli, Rabale, Ghansoli, Kopar Khairane and Turbhe railway stations, from where commuters cross to the industrial side. Top IT companies, such as Reliance, have a major presence in the area.