The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has proposed to appoint another consultant at a fee of ₹9.9 crore to create designs, tender documents, check traffic count and assess feasibility of one section of the Goregaon Mulund Link Road (GMLR) project. The BMC has finalised TPF Engineering as the consultant.
₹100 crore allotted
One of the BMC’s most ambitious projects, the GMLR was first proposed in the 1960s as an east-west connector. Since then, the city has had multiple connectors, but the GMLR did not materialise. The BMC has set aside ₹100 crore in this year’s annual budget for the project. The civic body has been pushing for the project, estimated at ₹3,000 crore.
The 14-km road will have a five-km stretch running through the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) in the form of twin tunnels. The tunnels were conceptualised following opposition from environmentalists to the proposed route through IIT-B, defence land and the Bhandup water treatment complex. There was another proposal to route the project through the SGNP on stilts.
The civic body is now concerned about possible bottlenecks near the entry and exit points of the tunnels. It has proposed appointing a consultant for improving the connectors and their chowks to prevent traffic jams. The consultant will also be responsible for designing tender documents and project designs of three flyovers, traffic count of the areas for next 20 years, and designing a rehabilitation plan for the project affected people.
The tender process is under way to widen A.N. Vaidya Road, which runs from Oberoi Mall junction to Film City, and Khindipada Road on the other end of the proposed tunnel. After widening, each road will have four lanes.
