KALYAN: Work on the new Shahad railway flyover, which links Kalyan and Ulhasnagar, is set to begin soon. The tender process has been completed and the work order has been issued, clearing the way for construction to start.
Under the ₹325.93 crore project, two new two-lane bridges will replace the old and narrow flyover near Shahad railway station. The project is expected to ease traffic between Kalyan and Ulhasnagar and on the route towards Murbad, and will give heavy vehicles a separate route.
According to the office of Kalyan MP Dr Shrikant Shinde, the project reached this stage after his sustained follow-up.
40-year-old bridge, a bottleneck
The existing flyover is about 40 years old and has only two lanes. Although the roads on both sides are wide, the carriageway narrows suddenly on the bridge, causing congestion, traffic jams and a risk of accidents.
Besides local traffic between the two cities, heavy vehicles heading towards Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Murbad and Ahmednagar also use the bridge. The decision to rebuild it was taken in view of the growing number of vehicles and future traffic needs.
Part of Titwala-Badlapur road project
The flyover is part of the Titwala-Badlapur road widening and strengthening project, which was approved at an authority meeting of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). The project has received technical sanction of ₹325.93 crore, of which ₹199.21 crore has been approved for civil works. MMRDA will carry out the work.
Phase 1: New bridge alongside the old one
The work will be done in two phases. In the first phase, a new two-lane flyover will be built next to the existing one. It will start in front of Sai Nirvana Downtown society, cross Mohane Road and pass over Shahad station towards Ulhasnagar.
On the Ulhasnagar side, a down ramp for local traffic will come up near Paradise Plaza, while a separate arm of the bridge will join the road beyond D-Mart. This will give heavy vehicles bound for Murbad a separate route. Vehicles coming from Mohane Road will get a direct up ramp towards Ulhasnagar, and a separate lane of about 50 metres will be built for traffic heading to Kalyan.
Phase 2: Old bridge to be rebuilt
Only after the first new bridge opens to traffic will the second phase begin. The old bridge will then be demolished in stages and another new two-lane bridge will be built in its place, with up ramps from the D-Mart and Paradise Plaza areas and a down ramp towards Mohane Road. Traffic management has been planned to keep vehicles moving during construction.
Once both phases are complete, Shahad will have two separate two-lane flyovers, a total of four lanes, over the Central Railway line. The connecting arms at Mohane Road, D-Mart and Paradise Plaza are expected to organise traffic coming from different directions, while the separate route for Murbad-bound heavy vehicles should reduce the load on Kalyan-Ulhasnagar roads.