The bridge is the main connector between Mumbai and Thane and in its new avatar – eight lanes — will ease peak hour traffic congestion, bringing solace to commuters travelling towards Thane, Navi Mumbai, and Mumbai. The bridge will also be a relief for motorists travelling from Mumbai towards Thane, Nashik, Gujarat, and Pune
Thane After a decade-long wait, much to the relief of Thanekars, Kopri bridge will be inaugurated by chief minister Eknath Shinde today, his birthday.
The bridge is the main connector between Mumbai and Thane and in its new avatar – eight lanes — will ease peak hour traffic congestion, bringing solace to commuters travelling towards Thane, Navi Mumbai, and Mumbai. The bridge will also be a relief for motorists travelling from Mumbai towards Thane, Nashik, Gujarat, and Pune. Around 1.22 lakh vehicles run on the bridge every day.
On Wednesday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sanjay Kelkar and officials of Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development (MMRDA) visited the bridge. “The work is complete, and the bridge will be thrown open so that people can have a smooth ride to Thane city,” said an MMRDA official.
“I first highlighted the need for widening the bridge in 2010. After inspecting it, I can see it is almost ready as some minor finishing work remains,” said Kelkar.
As per the invite issued by the MMRDA, the bridge will be inaugurated by the chief minister at 1.30 pm. He will be accompanied by deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, MP Kapil Patil and commissioner of MMRDA SVR Srinivas.
The work on widening the bridge, constructed in 1965, was delayed multiple times. Over the last several years, many agencies including the Public works department (PWD) and Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) were assigned the work. Subsequently, MMRDA took over.
When it was proposed that the bridge be widened from four to eight lanes, the cost of the project stood at ₹9 crore. The delay in implementing the plan has escalated the cost to ₹258.76 crore.
Naresh Mhaske, former mayor of Thane and leader of the Eknath Shinde faction, Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena, said, “It will be a remarkable moment for Thanekars as the CM is inaugurating the bridge. There are several programmes to mark his birthday in Thane.”
“Commuters usually face a lot of traffic snarls, and a fully functional bridge will bring a major relief to them. A major bottleneck of traffic will come to an end with the opening of this bridge,” said Umesh Kharat, 38, a commuter from Thane.
Source : Hindustan Times
