Mumbai on the move

Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL)

A 22km long trans harbour link has been proposed with an intention to link Navi Mumbai with Mumbai. Mumbai’s second sea-bridge after BWSL, it will connect Sewri in the island city and Nhava Sheva at the Navi Mumbai side. An Expressway Link with a six lane dual carriageway road bridge and rail bridge will begin from Sewri Station’s east side, go on till Nhava Sheva and end at Chirle village. The interchange will be at NH 4B. This `8800 crore project was envisaged 30 years ago. The link will have a 16.5km long bridge across Mumbai harbour. Its viaduct approaches on either side will be 5.5km long.

“MTHL is a project which will guide the development in the desired direction and open up need areas for development,” says Murthy.

The MTHL, of which MSRDC is the nodal agency, will be completed in three phases. The first phase will see the construction of the main bridge from Sewri to Nhava Sheva. This will be a six lane bridge and the approaches at grade near Sewri end, the interchange at NH4b and the underpasses at the road and railway crossings will be done at this time. The second stage will take care of the dispersal system at Sewri while the third phase relates to the construction of Metro rail link from Sewri to Nhava Sheva and from Nhava Sheva to MMSEZ (near Pen) and further, to Panvel (this will go ahead via the proposed Navi Mumbai International airport) and will end at Uran.

The project received six proposals from 18 companies for pre-qualification bid in March this year and five have been shortlisted. The Maharashtra Government has declared the MTHL project as a Regional Development Project.

“We are studying the design and the place of landing of the traffic from it and working out ways of integrating it with the local traffic. We are looking at a few things like in what manner will the traffic land, how the junction needs to be and how can it easily take off from the landing point into the existing traffic,” says Phansalkar.

The Western Freeway Sea Link (Bandra–Worli–Nariman Point)

This proposed extension (3.2km) of BWSL to Nariman Point in the South, and then further till Cuffe Parade, is expected to decongest the traffic between Bandra and Cuffe Parade. Since this will be an extension of BWSL from the Worli end, it is being taken as Phase II of BWSL for the extension till Nariman Point. While Phase IIA will see the extension from Worli till Haji Ali, Phase IIB will be used to extend the link further from Haji Ali to Nariman Point. The alignment will be Worli Sea Link, running parallel to Worli Sea Face (Abdul Gaffar Khan Road) shoreline up to Haji Ali Bay and then to Lala Lajpat Rai Road at Rajni Patel Chowk. The interchanges will be at Worli and Haji Ali.

Passenger Water Transport (PWT) System

MSRDC is the nodal agency for this project along the West Coast of Mumbai. Apart from the ongoing projects like Mumbai Metro and Monorail, it is Passenger Water Transport System along West Coast of Mumbai that demands attention. This will connect Borivali, Marve, Versova, Juhu, Bandra and Nariman Point. None of the earlier attempts at PWT in Mumbai has been successful though. This time round too, MSRDC’s tenders did not prove successful for this environment-friendly transport that will reduce congestion, curb air and noise pollution, save travel time because of the increased speed of the mode of travel and decongest roads. However, it has been decided to take up the project on EPC contract basis now instead of the BOT model. M/s Lousi Berger Group has been appointed the consultant for the project. Relevant studies are being carried out for preparing the project report. It will take quite some time for the work to begin.

Versova – Bandra Sea Link (VBSL) in Mumbai

Right now, the project is in the preliminary stages where pre-feasibility studies are being carried out by M/s CES (I) Pvt Ltd. If it goes ahead, the 10km distance between Bandra and Versova will be linked via sea just like Bandra-Worli Sea Link. Six lanes are proposed along with four lanes for the connectors. According to the study so far, alignment in the sea, alignment along the coast and alignment partly in the sea and partly on the coast are three options suggested. Many meetings and decisions will take place before the picture of the project’s fate emerges.

Of course, along with flyovers, multiple roads too will have to be constructed for different directions to ease the dispersing of traffic hitting the main roads from the flyovers on either side.

Bus Rapid Transit System

Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS), with dedicated lanes for the buses of Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) is another project that has been in the pipeline for a long time now. It may not happen too soon but discussions on the feasibility of BRTS are held among the top planning officials time and again. “Discussions are held on the issue but a comprehensive proposal incorporating all the concerns in the beginning itself is essential,” says O P Gupta, General Manager, BEST. Citing the example of Delhi and Pune where BRTS failed, he says, “I agree with the cautious approach being taken in Mumbai. It may take time but it must evolve in proper shape. There is no space to increase road width in Mumbai and people oppose elevated roads as they feel such roads will take away the aesthetic appeal of our city. Many notifications in various Acts will be required for various aspects of BRTS. All the issues will be thoroughly discussed before a decision is taken. Competent authorities will take the required decisions at the right time.”

So, BRTS seems to be a project that the planners are sceptical to begin. And yet, it is a project they are not in a mood to shelve too. At least, for the moment.

Integrated Ticketing System

Though it is not an infrastructure project, MMRDA’s plan to introduce integrated ticketing system (ITS) will go a long way in pulling commuters towards public transport, thereby easing the pressure of private vehicles on the roads. Under the scheme, one ticket (smartcard) will be valid for BEST buses, Metro and Mono Rails in Mumbai and its metropolitan region. The Authority intends to make available the smart cards for the same over the counter throughout the city and the metropolitan region. In its invitation for pre-qualification bid for the same, over 25 companies responded early this year.

The state government allocated, early this year, `4,825 crore to MMRDA for speedy completion of mega infrastructure projects by early 2013. These projects include Monorail, Metro Rail and a few other important roads.

Mumbai seems to be gearing up to accept the new travelling styles in its lifestyle. A few of the projects may inconvenience the Mumbaikars and teething problems may take place once the new projects crawl their way into the existing space of Mumbai but Traffic Police is already working on making the transition as smooth as possible. Says Phansalkar, “Traffic management issues do crop up when new projects are opened for the public. They need to be anticipated, envisaged and planned in advance. We are attempting to work on the planning agencies on this. We look towards doing a good job.”