As workers began the process of hoisting a girder on a bridge within the Thane-Diva line on Sunday, unforeseen delays meant that the work went on through Monday. This led to major traffic delays on the Eastern Express Highway in Thane. Local police officials have said that this was caused by the railways.
Motorists that were stuck in the traffic congestion said that there was no prior warning of a route change, leading them to believe that this may have been a last-minute decision on the part of the authorities.
Workers managed to lay the first set of ‘Up’ line girders on March 7 while concluding the job at 8 PM that very day. However, the laying of the ‘Down’ line girders was scheduled for March 21 while a traffic block was also provided to accommodate the works.
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“Road traffic from Kharegaon toll naka, Retibunder road, traffic towards Kalamboli, Mhape passing via Mumbra by-pass and oncoming traffic from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan to Kharegaon has all been diverted via alternative routes,” an official note read.
Explaining the delay on Sunday, a spokesperson for Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) said, “The Down line girder was pushed up to 60 metres on Sunday and the remaining 16 metres could not be done due to some technical glitch. We are in touch with the Thane traffic police to work out further modalities to complete the remaining work.”
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Despite these delays, it goes without saying that the completion of this project will prove to be crucial for railway lines in the region, while also offering a dedicated path/lane for fast locals. The outstation trains between Kalyan and Kurla will also be properly segregated with this project. It’s worth pointing out that each girder weighs close to 350 metric tonnes.
This ambitious project has faced several challenges along the way. It was originally expected to be completed by December 2015. This was then pushed to December 2017, March 2019, June 2020, and now 2021. Expectedly, the cost of the project has risen from ₹130 crores to ₹440 crores. The project was originally sanctioned in 2008 as part of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project-2B.
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