MMRDA says Vasai-Bhayander bridge by September 2024

MUMBAI: Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) will construct a 3+3 lane bridge, parallel to the Western Railway bridge, connecting Vasai (W) to Bhayander (W). Stoop Consultants will prepare a detailed report considering future traffic congestion. The bridge is part of the extended Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP).The bridge, which has been in the pipeline for many years, will be 5km long, with a breath of around 30 metres, and the estimated cost is pegged at Rs 1,501 crore. The project is expected to be completed by September 2024.The new bridge will be constructed parallel to the railway bridge on the creek. Around 3 lakh commuters travelling towards Mumbai from Vasai and Bhayander and vice versa will benefit as travel time will reduce by about 10km, thus saving fuel too. It takes around an hour from Bhayander to Vasai by road, as against 10 minutes by train. Thus, the bridge will be a boon for motorists.The bridge will develop western connectivity between Mumbai-Vasai-Bhayander. It will have an exit point at Subhash Chandra Chowk at Bhayander, Contino Road on Naigaon side and Panju island, where boats are the only option at present. It will also be an alternative to the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway. The project was originally planned in 2007, but due to lack of clearances it did not commence. In 2013, the cost was estimated at around Rs 300 crore.The old Panju railway bridge between Naigaon-Bhayander had been damaged after a dredger hit its piers while going beneath it in March 2018.Police had said that the incident occurred in the evening when a dredger, Sea King, was passing under the bridge while the water level in the creek was high.The British-era bridge was decommissioned by railways some years before that so the mishap had not affected railway traffic.Vasai police had registered a case under sections of Indian Penal Code and Indian Railways Act.