Maharashtra Govt Approves MMRDA’s Elevated Road & Tunnel Plan To Decongest Ghodbunder Road

The goal of the new route, which will relieve traffic on Thane's Ghodbunder route, is approved, according to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). Last week, at an MMRDA meeting presided over by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, where the sanction was given.

The project would cost an estimated INR 20,000 crore and involve building a new 15.5-km road that will connect Gaimukh in Thane to Bhayandar. The road will comprise both an elevated road and a tunnel. The proposed route is expected to comprise a 10-kilometre elevated segment and a 3.5-kilometer underground tube, according to media reports.

There are two components to the project. The first is building a road that will stretch 5.5 km from Gaimukh to the Fountain Hotel. A 3.5-kilometer section of this route would be an underground tunnel due to its close proximity to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP).

The second section consists of a 10-kilometre elevated road that runs from Bhayandar to the Fountain Hotel. Three lanes will be found in the tunnel, while four lanes will be found on the elevated road that will cross the current highway.

After it has been completed, drivers will have alternate routes to take them from Balkumb in Thane to the Fountain Hotel and the Fountain Hotel to Bhayandar.

The Thane Coastal Road project, which runs between Gaimukh and Bhayandar, is also being undertaken by the MMRDA. Furthermore, construction is about to start on the 11.8-kilometer twin tunnel project, which would enhance connectivity between Borivali and Ghodbunder Road in Thane. Megha Engineering has been given the go-ahead for this twin tunnel project.

An elevated route from Thane to Padgha has been planned by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) due to the large number of vehicles that use the Mumbai-Nashik Highway. The Authority ordered a thorough study for the project in February 2024.

According to MMRDA commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee, traffic has multiplied and the existing road (the Bhiwandi bypass) is being widened slowly.

He went on to say that we have hired a study to be done on an elevated road. Although there will be a toll to use it, drivers from Thane to Padgha can get there without any problems. Additionally, this will connect to the Samruddhi Motorway between Nagpur and Mumbai.