The Pedder Road flyover project in Mumbai has hit another stumbling block. Tenders for the much-delayed project have already been floated by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) but other government agencies have expressed reservations.
The traffic department is worried about disruptions during construction, whereas the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has expressed concern regarding the need to shift underground utilities.
Tenders for the proposed 4.7-km flyover, which will connect Lala Lajpat Rai College on Annie Besant road, near Haji Ali, to Wilson College, near Girgaum Chowpatty, were floated last December. Sources said representatives from both departments raised concerns at a meeting of the empowered committee of the Mumbai transformation support unit (MTSU) last week.
Headed by State Chief Secretary Jayant Kumar Banthia, MTSU is the official government think-tank on projects related to the transformation of Mumbai into a world-class metropolis. Heads of government departments and top corporate personalities are its members.
A senior state official said the traffic department was apprehensive of granting an NOC for construction without submission of an alternative plan to redirect traffic. Traffic volume studies conducted for the junction have shown that peak hour peak direction (phpd) traffic along the junction is over 3,000 vehicles.
The department claimed that no alternative traffic management” plan has been submitted so far. The concerns have forced the administration to consider other options. At the same meeting, the committee saw a presentation on setting up dwarf two-lane underpasses for cars at the Haji Ali-Cadbury junction, and a shorter (1.2 km) flyover connecting Lala Lajpat Rai road to the Gamadia junction (Jindal Mansion).
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