Mumbai: The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is preparing to start work on the most challenging part of the Worli-Sewri connector—a key road to boost connectivity to the Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu.
The MMRDA is preparing to dismantle the century-old Elphinstone Bridge and build a new double-decker bridge across the Central and Western railway lines near the Prabhadevi Road railway station.
The Elphinstone Bridge remains choked during peak hours, and the work will likely throw traffic out of gear for at least a year.
An MMRDA official, who did not wish to be named, said, “We have applied for permission from the traffic department to close the current Elphinstone Bridge for the work. We will start the work soon after we get the clearance. We expect to complete this challenging section of the Worli-Sewri connector and build the new double-decker bridge in 12 months.”
The 4.5-kilometre, four-lane Sewri-Worli connector will provide direct connectivity between the Atal Setu and the Bandra Worli Sea Link, as well as the Coastal Road, bringing traffic from the western part of the city to the Atal Setu seamlessly.
The connectivity the Sewri-Worli corridor will provide is especially significant as the operations of the new Navi Mumbai airport is scheduled by May this year. The Atal Setu is a direct connector between the Mumbai island city and the Navi Mumbai airport.
MMRDA Commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee, in a post on ‘X’, said the Sewri-Worli connector is “expected to add about 15-20% vehicular traffic from Bandra to Worli and Mumbai Coastal Road to Atal Setu, increasing the toll revenue on Atal Setu”.
The double-decker bridge
The double-decker bridge that will replace the Elphinstone Bridge will have four lanes, two on either side at the first level, for vehicles to ply between the arterial Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Road and the Senapati Bapat Road. Effectively, this means that the first level of the double-decker flyover will cater to vehicular traffic that the existing Elphinstone Bridge caters to.
The second level of the double-decker bridge, which will have two lanes each on either side too, will take traffic from Worli towards Atal Setu and vice versa.
The Railways has approved the general arrangement drawing of the double-decker rail overbridge.
The MMRDA official quoted above said that there are multiple challenges involved in the entire process, right from dismantling the existing Elphinstone Bridge to disrupting road and rail traffic while the construction of the new bridge is underway. What adds to the constraints is that the area is very congested with there being limited space available on both sides due to the surrounding properties.
“Dismantling of the Elphinstone Bridge will need to be done with cranes, which have a capacity of 800 metric tonne. A standby crane of 500 metric tonne will remain deployed at the site. Dismantling the bridge will require a daily time block from the Central Railway and the Western Railway,” the official said.
The proposed new bridge will have two spans—segments between two pillars. The first span of 95 metre is a steel superstructure that weighs nearly 3,000 metric tonne, while the second span of 37 metre weighs roughly 1,200 metric tonne.
The Worli-Sewri connector
The connector was first planned in 2013 to boost East-West connectivity and feed traffic into the Sewri-Nhava Sheva Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, now known as Atal Setu. However, it went into cold storage as plans for a Mumbai Trans Harbour Link also dragged on.
The project was revived in 2016 as plans for the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link gathered steam. Actual construction began in 2021.
The 4.5-kilometre-long corridor includes two road overbridges, one at Sewri station across the harbour line of the Mumbai suburban railway, and the other at Elphinstone, work on which will begin as soon as the traffic department grants permission.
Overall, 60 percent of the work on the Worli-Sewri connector has been completed. This includes work on the road overbridge at Sewri station, the above-mentioned MMRDA official said.
The Worli-Sewri connector will begin at the Sewri interchange of the Atal Setu on the east side of the Sewri railway station and end near the Worli sea face at the Narayan Hardikar Marg.
The MMRDA changed the alignment of the connector last year to significantly reduce the number of project-affected persons as well as the rehabilitation costs.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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