Come April, and the residents of Mumbai are set to face major traffic snarls in the city as authorities are likely to shut down the Sion flyover for repair work. Due to this, more commuters will be forced to take the Eastern Express Highway (EEH), which is already one of the busiest roads in the Mumbai Metropolitan Area.
While the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is yet to finalise the tenders, the work that will involve replacing 170 bearings on the Sion flyover is likely to start by mid-April.
"We are aiming to start the work by April 10 or 15. Traffic will have to be shut on the flyover for the repair period," Hindustan Times quoted an official as saying.
The cost of the repair is pegged at about Rs 5 crore and the work will reportedly take about six months to be completed.
Meanwhile, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is also set to start work on the Thane-Wadala-Kasarvadavali corridor in April, which will lead to the closure of a few lanes on the EEH.
This means that the residents of the financial capital of India will have a tough time commuting, with two of the most important roads closed.
To make matters worse, the construction and repair work will take place during the monsoon months, when the city faces a lot of issues with waterlogging and heavy traffic.
Over the weekend, the city of Mumbai witnessed huge traffic restrictions as over 35,000 farmers marched from Nashik as part of the Kisan Long March. The farmers voiced their demands, which include a waiver of farm loans and electricity bills, better compensations for the land bought by the government and implementation of the recommendations of the of the National Commission on Farmers to name a few.
In view of the march, the Mumbai police had issued traffic advisories to the residents of the city.
