Two-and-a-half-years after it was first suggested, it seems like the idea to build a bridge over Vitawa-Thane will finally see the light of day as Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also heads the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), instructed the authority on Tuesday to prepare a detailed proposal for the bridge which aims to ease congestion at Kalwa Naka and Kalwa Bridge.
For a long time now, the Kalwa Bridge has been facing issues of traffic bottlenecks with vehicles coming in from Thane and Navi Mumbai. MMRDA now plans to build a special creek bridge.
On April 24, Fadnavis held a meeting with transport minister Nitin Gadkari, Thane's guardian minister Eknath Shinde, Kalyan MP Shrikant Shinde, Thane MP Rajan Vichare, MLA Pratap Sarnaik and officials from MMRDA. "In this meeting, Fadnavis directed MMRDA to present a detailed feasibility report on the proposed bridge as soon as possible," said Shinde, who was first to raise the issue in September 2016.
Once ready, the new bridge will be a boon for motorists and small vehicles going from Navi Mumbai to Thane, as well as residents of Vitawa who will be able to reach Thane station without getting stuck in jams at Kalwa Naka and Kalwa Bridge. "Though Thane station is just 10-minutes away from Vitawa, I often have to wait 15 to 20 minutes on Kalwa Bridge and then at Kalwa Naka," said Nikhil Pendse, a resident from Vitawa, and added, "This bridge will make daily commute easier."
TRAFFIC WOES
The Kalwa Bridge has been facing issues of traffic bottlenecks with vehicles coming in from Thane and Navi Mumbai for a long time now. MMRDA is now planning to build a special creek bridge. The new bridge will be a boon for motorists & small vehicles
