The much-delayed Santacruz Chembur Link Road and the Amar Mahal junction flyover, which are expected to decongest the Eastern and Western Express Highways in the city, were today thrown open to vehicular traffic.
The 3.5-km Link Road and the 1,096-meter long Amar Mahal junction flyover are aimed at easing traffic snarls at Amar Mahal, Sion and Kalanagar junctions and in Kurla in the central Mumbai.
They will enable travel from Santacruz to Chembur in a mere 15-20 minutes. Normally it takes around 60-90 minutes during peak hours.
The entire 6.5 km long stretch, including the country's first double-decker flyover, is expected to cater to two lakh vehicles daily.
The Rs 450 crore SCLR project, conceptualised in 2002, missed 12 deadlines due to issues related to resettlement, rehabilitation and encroachment. The groundwork commenced only in 2007.
Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the implementing agency, resettled and rehabilitated more than 3,500 affected families from Gazi Nagar, Buddha Colony, Sable Nagar, Rahul Nagar and Indira Colony areas.
