Silence please! BKC will be the first to get road noise barriers

When you live in the city’s prime areas, it is a given that you will enjoy certain privileges. So, the complaining residents on a 1.15-km stretch at Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) and Kala Nagar will get the country first systematic and technically designed road noise barriers.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has issued a Letter of Intent to Fracasso India Pvt Ltd to install these noise barriers from Kala Nagar to Income Tax Building junction. The installation is expected to be completed in six months.

“Responding to complaints from residents of BKC, MMRDA undertook a noise mapping exercise on the 4-km Bandra-Kurla Link Road. The study involved noise propagation modelling to find out building-wise and floor-wise noise levels; acoustic design and finalising material and type of noise barriers,” said MMRDA spokesperson Dilip Kawathkar.

“The study also took care of the fact that the material used for the barriers is anti-theft (useless or priceless otherwise on its own) and vandal-proof.

“The 4-km study underlined the 1,150-metre stretch from Kala Nagar to Income Tax Building junction which showed noise levels ranging from 65 to 98 decibels. It also suggested that 5-metre tall noise barriers would bring down decibel levels to 55,” said MMRDA chief engineer SR Nandgirikar. The study was conducted by Italian company Metel Mecannica.

Following the study, MMRDA invited tenders for the Rs8.68 crore project in January this year to which seven agencies responded. Finally, three of them submitted the tender documents. Fracasso won the contract for their lowest quotation. While it had filed tenders with minus 5.15% of the project cost, Iac Acoustic Technology, China, had filed tenders with 34% and Hwakyong Entop Co. Ltd, Korea, had filed tenders with 3.50% more than the project cost.