Bhayandar: Here is some good news for motorists taking the Versova bridge (also known as the Bhayandar Creek Bridge) on the Mumbai Ahmedabad National Highway No 8, as traffic nightmare they have been dreaded for the past few years, may become a thing of the past.
Reason, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) which has initiated the process to construct a new creek bridge aimed at facilitating smoother connectivity between Mumbai and Gujarat, has finally procured the much needed clearances from the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF).
The bhoomi poojan (ground breaking) ceremony of the 2.25km long (including access roads) Versova creek bridge, carrying a price tag of Rs 157 crore was conducted on January 11 last year.
However the construction work in the periphery of the creek was held up sans the environment clearances due to the presence of lush mangrove cover and the eco-sensitive region falling under the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ).
“Since some of the mangrove patches will have to be removed, we procured due permissions from the High Court and the environment department.
Subsequently, all levied fees to relocate and plant more mangrove saplings as per guidelines has already been deposited with the forest department,” revealed a senior NHAI officer.
The new bridge structure is expected to be ready by April, 2021. The oldest of the twin bridges which has been catering to the needs of motorists for over four decades have gone under major repair works on multiple occasions, including the replacement of a girder which took nearly six months to make it fit for vehicular movement.
Motorists had a harrowing time in the bumper-to-bumper traffic not only during the repair work, but also on a regular basis –mainly during peak morning and evening hours.
By Suresh Golani
