Latest News For 'Mumbai Traffic News'
May 3rd, 2007
Mumbai: The JJ flyover is undergoing a pre-monsoon makeover. The flyover, considered a visual treat as well as an engineering marvel, was partially closed on Wednesday as a section of the roadway was resurfaced.
Officials in the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) said this section of the road was prone to flooding. “When there is heavy rain, water tends to collect on the roadway where there is an S curve and this has created potholes in the past which are difficult to fix. So we are cleaning everything up before the monsoon,’’ the official said.
“Work began early on Wednesday morning and it will be finished by late night. The roadway will be open to traffic on Thursday morning,’’ he added.
The flyover inaugurated in May 2002, was built at a cost of Rs 70 crore. It is the longest road bridge in the city, stretching across 2.4 km in one of the busiest areas of the metropolis. Potholes first began appearing on the roadway a few years back and several accidents have occurred when speeding motorists have crashed over dividers. The flyover now has large reflectors on the ground and along the walls to caution drivers as it twists and turns its way through a labyrinth of old buildings. The roadway traverses 22 small and large junctions along its path.
The resurfacing work is being done by Gammon India which had constructed the flyover with Dar Consultants UK acting as consultants. It was Dar Consultants which suggested an innovative design for the flyover, an elevated viaduct on a single pier that would not cut into the road width underneath the flyover, providing enough space for traffic lanes and parking spaces.
Source : TOI (epaper)
May 2nd, 2007
Arterial Roads In The Western And Eastern Suburbs Are Becoming Wider, Giving You A Much Better Driving Experience.
WESTERN EXPRESS HIGHWAY
LENGTH: 24.35 km
CONNECTS: Bandra and Dahisar
MAXIMUM WIDTH: 61 metres (at Kandivli and Jogeshwari)
PROJECT COST: Rs 270 crore
STATUS: 80 per cent complete
The longest arterial road within BMC limits still sees a lot of work; it is being widened and strengthened at several places and new flyovers are coming up at the busier points like Kandivli and near the airport. The expressway has also been converted from a four-lane road to a 10-lane thoroughfare. It also has a couple of service lanes on either side at several places, making the Western Express Highway a 14-lane road on several stretches. All this widening has helped speed up traffic. The greatest beneficiary has been the BEST Undertaking, which runs several routes on the highway. Transport consultant Arun Mokashi, who travels along the WEH, is happy the way the road has shaped up. But he wishes that the bottlenecks near Borivli are done away with.
ANDHERI-KURLA ROAD
LENGTH: 4.77 km
CONNECTS: Andheri and Ghatkopar
MAXIMUM WIDTH: 27.45 metres (near Star Movies)
PROJECT COST: Rs 14 crore
STATUS: 75 per cent complete
The road links Andheri in the western suburbs with Ghatkopar in the east via Kurla. It joins the Eastern Express Highway and is now one of the main roads linking the western suburbs with the western suburbs. The widening of the road is still going on; the road is widest near Star Movies. Work is also not over on the western end; when it is done, the road will start at Versova.
This new road is already home to many of the new-age sectors like information technology and the media. The road also serves the SEEPZ area as well as the MIDC industrial estate and the airport.
Residents are happy with the load the road is taking. Travel agency owner and social activist Abraham Mathai says the Andheri-Ghatkopar Link Road (also called the Andheri-Kurla Link Road) has, over the last one year, improved a lot. “The road is now wide and movement along it has picked up but it still gets crowded at times,’’ he says.
EASTERN EXPRESS HIGHWAY
LENGTH: 18.31 km
CONNECTS: Sion and Mulund
MAXIMUM WIDTH: 61 metres (near Chembur)
PROJECT COST: Rs 124 crore
STATUS: 80 per cent complete
This is perhaps the second most important arterial road in the suburbs after the Western Express Highway. It extends from Sion in the island city right up to the Mulund Check Naka in the eastern suburbs, traversing a distance of more than 18 km. The highway has now been converted from an eightlane road to a 10-lane affair; and, if you add the two additional lanes on either side that are functional service roads, you end up with a 14-lane expressway.
And, at its widest, the Eastern Express Highway (just like its counterpart in the western suburbs) is a staggering 61 metres.
Speed has been the greatest gift of the Eastern Express Highway to people staying in and commuting to the eastern suburbs.
Even public transport — comprising the buses run by the BEST Undertaking — has speeded up remarkably, say people who use the road regularly.
Media executive Aditya Dighe, who stays in the eastern suburbs, says travelling has improved a lot after the widening of the road. But there continue to be bottlenecks at Sion, Vikhroli and Mulund. “The government should try and sort out these problems,’’ he demands.
LINK ROAD
LENGTH: 20.18 km
WILL CONNECT: Bandra and Dahisar
MAXIMUM WIDTH: 36.6 metres (near Goregaon-Malad)
PROJECT COST: Rs 94 crore
STATUS: 70 per cent complete
This is one of the newest additions to Mumbai’s network of roads. It is supposed to start at Bandra and reach Dahisar but the last bit — at the north between Kandivli and Dahisar — and a few other stretches are still missing; one such example is the stretch between Santacruz and Jogeshwari. But MMRDA engineer-in-charge J G Gandhi said the stretch was expected to be complete by December 2007. Even the incomplete road, however, has been a boon to commuters who agree that it has taken a huge load away from S V Road and the Western Express Highway. An executive in a private firm, Manish Shandiliya, who uses the road upto Jogeshwari regularly, says the difference the road has made over the last six months is noticeable. “But it will be an even bigger help when the road connects Bandra with Dahisar,’’ he said.
JOGESHWARI-VIKHROLI LINK ROAD
LENGTH: 10.46 km
CONNECTS: Jogeshwari and Vikhroli
MAXIMUM WIDTH: 45 metres (ahead of SEEPZ)
PROJECT COST: Rs 146 crore
STATUS: 80 per cent complete
The road is one of the two new main link roads being developed for better connectivity between the eastern suburbs and the western suburbs. It is one component of the city projects that are part of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project being financed by the World Bank.
The road has three flyovers — at SEEPZ, L&T and Gandhinagar — and a subway near the Hirandani Complex.
It has seen its share of delays, mainly because of rehabilitation-related issues, but officials feel the road will now be complete very soon.
Residents, however, say they are already getting the benefits of the incomplete road.
Charles D’Souza, who often drives from his home near the Western Express Highway to the Hiranandani Complex at Powai, says the area has improved and the drive is smooth except for a small patch that, officials say, will be ready soon. “I can reach Powai in 15 minutes now,’’ he says.
Source : TOI (epaper)
April 26th, 2007
Mumbai: Empty Roads, Few Cops, Fewer Signals And Thrill-Seeking Have Conspired To Make The City’s Roads Perilous At Night. It’s night and the roads are wide open. You command around 1300cc of machine and metal in your hands and the temptation to step on the gas is overpowering. You give in.
You speed through the empty streets of the sleeping metropolis, high on acceleration. But a vehicle, which can be either a necessity or a luxury, can just as easily be a killing machine as it can be a joytoy.
Figures compiled by the traffic department in the past year reveal that nearly 50% of fatal accidents in Mumbai occur in the dead of night or early morning. This, despite the fact that night-time traffic is almost 70% less than the day.
Of the 848 accidents that ended in fatalities in 2006, around 400 were blamed on rash, negligent or drunken driving at night.
Tuesday morning’s six-vehicle smash-up at Four Bungalows was yet another grim reminder that the streets are becoming increasingly dangerous after dark.
The temptation to pedalpush becomes even stronger as 80 to 90% of signals are off at night, said a traffic official. At the Four Bungalows junction early Tuesday morning, police said the lights were either flashing red or yellow at the time of the crash.
With only 20% of the 2,700-strong traffic police force—or around 550 cops—on duty along the city’s 1,970 sq km of roads at night, the urge to break the rules is even stronger.
Human error is resposnsible for a large number of night crashes, police said. “90% of the accidents occur due to human error, like falling asleep at the wheel or racing at breakneck speed through empty roads,’’ the traffic official said. Drivers also do not stop or slow down for flashing red or yellow lights.
In the first three months of 2007, the traffic department registered 6,170 cases of rash and negligent driving, a record of sorts. Also registered were 841 cases of drunken driving. “Drivers throw caution to the wind when the last beat constable ends his duty and goes home,’’ said the traffic official. “We have now installed speed guns at key roads in Bandra, Worli and Marine Drive. These are places where youth are known to race each other, especially on weekends.’’
Source: TOI(Mumabi epaper)
April 20th, 2007
Mumbai: Even as belligerent unions in the BEST began a 72-hour strike on Thursday, the undertaking’s management issued a notice sacking all striking employees while also lodging a First Information Report (FIR) against union leaders for inciting them. However, the BEST’s governing committee was continuing its efforts to break the deadlock by holding talks with striking unions.
The sudden strike caused great hardship to 44 lakh Mumbaikars who travel by the BEST’s fleet of 3,404 buses every day.Regular commuters were seen stranded as taxis and autos preferred to give a hitch only to long-distance passengers.
The employees are demanding a monthly salary hike of Rs 1,200 to Rs 1,400 by way of revision of the dearness allowance and jumps in other allowances.
The employees already got a package outlining an overall Rs 402 crore increase in salary last year to compensate for delays in signing a formal wage agreement for the period 2001-06.
The BEST management, for its part, cracked the whip by invoking the provisions of the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) to make the employees fall in line.
“The Bombay high court has already given an order restraining employees from going on a strike or stopping work. The unions and employees are liable to be in contempt of court,’’ said Uttam Khobragade, general manager of BEST. The undertaking’s notice said that all employees who had not reported to work by noon on Thursday were sacked.
The undertaking also plans to file a petition in the high court seeking action against erring unions and its members for violating its directions, he added.
Putting up a brave face, Khobragade said the management has issued a public notice calling wait-listed recruits and even drivers suspended in the recent past for immediate recruitment.
“I assure them of permanent employment, not just ad hoc work orders. We plan to take at least 1,000 employees within the next few days,’’ he said.
Unwilling to buckle under the union’s pressure, Khobragade said the employees should understand the precarious financial position of the BEST before making unjust demands. “We are ready to institute an inquiry by a retired finance secretary who can verify how the BEST has been making losses to the tune of Rs 200 crore a year on an average in the last few years,’’ he said. The demand made by the employees unions would put an additional burden of at least Rs 100 crore per annum on the BEST, he claimed.
Source: TOI(Mumbai epaper)
April 19th, 2007
Mumbai: The face-off between the management and the trade union of Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) will hit Mumbai hard for the next 72 hours.
With no buses plying on the city roads, India’s commercial capital is fearing the worse.
“This is because the GM has not responded to the chairman of BEST committee and left for Delhi. People should ask him. BEST workers provide 365 day service to the public. Any water logging, fire, riots taking place, the BEST workers are the ones who come forward and provide service to the people in these cases, which should not be forgotten,” General Secretary of BEST Workers Union, Sharad Rao.
On June 7 2006, the BEST Workers union had entered into an agreement with BEST to refer issues like revision of pay scales, dearness allowance, house rent allowance, leave travel assistance and various other perks to a three-member Pay Revision Committee (PRC).
The management says the union had promised it won’t stop work till the committee gave its decision. Now Best managers say they will take action against employees on strike.
“Those going on strike, will be sacked. We will run extra buses tomorrow,” says BEST General Manager Uttam Khobragade.
With autorickshaw drivers also planning to go on strike in support of BEST employees and local trains already carrying way beyond their capacity, the maximum city is about to hit slow motion.
Source: ibnlive.com
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