In a move to tackle traffic congestion in Thane district, the Maharashtra government on Friday announced a separate project will be implemented to build new flyovers and widen roads, alongside the Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan underground Metro Line 5, an official statement said.
The announcement was made by Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis during a high-level review meeting of the metro corridor.
He said that the metro and the road widening projects should be carried out together, so that citizens benefit from long-term traffic relief.
“Both projects are equally important for the people. The government will make sure the funds are available. Bhiwandi’s full development is our priority,” CM Fadnavis said.
He said that once completed, the projects will lead to better connectivity, smoother travel, and faster development of northern Bhiwandi. The underground metro line, being built by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), will also be extended from Kalyan to Ulhasnagar, and possibly to Chikhlole station near Ambernath.
A feasibility study is already in progress, CM Fadnavis stated.
He said that Bhiwandi is becoming a major freight transport hub in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
CM Fadnavis said public transport and road infrastructure must be developed together to support both citizens and industrial growth.
During the meeting, he also directed authorities to look into using deep tunnel and twin tunnel technology to build both roads and metro lines together.
Suggestions from public representatives should also be included, he said.
Officials from the MMRDA, Urban Development Department, and municipal bodies of Bhiwandi and Kalyan attended the review. MMRDA Commissioner Dr Sanjay Mukherjee gave a detailed presentation on the metro project.
The metro line-5 has a total length: 34.23 km. It has a total of number of 19 stations with one underground and others elevated. The total cost of the metro line 5 is around Rs 8,417 crore and Rs 4,063 crore for metro line-5A.
Its phase 1 (Kapurbawdi – Dhamankar Naka) is 96 per cent completed.
According to the officials, for phase 2 (Dhamankar Naka – Durgadi), DPR is in final stage and the land acquisition ongoing, while (Durgadi – Ulhasnagar Link) under the phase 5A, DPR was being finalised.
