Heavy rains lash Mumbai

After days of dry spell, heavy rains on Saturday lashed the metropolis, partially disrupting road traffic and train services on Western and Central line.

The weather department has predicted heavy rains in few parts of the city and suburbs for tomorrow.

The city has recorded a rainfall of 26.13 mm, while the figures for eastern and western suburbs were 21.85 and 10.98 mms respectively.

The Met department has also forecast thundershowers with possibility of heavy rains in some areas.

Trains on Western line were running late by 10-15 minutes while those on Central were nearly half an hour behind schedule, railway officials said.

Flight operations were however normal, airport officials said.

According to civic officials, water logging was reported from several low lying areas like Hindmata, Dadar, Sion, Matunga, Mahim and Andheri subway.

Schoolchildren from suburban Ghatkopar, Chembur, Kurla had a tough time reaching their homes.

Road traffic was badly hit on the busy Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg, S V Road and Eastern Express highway.

The ongoing Metro rail work at suburban Ghatkopar has further added to the woes to the pedestrians in the area, Preeti Parekh, a local resident said.

MMRDA to construct a tri level structure with the flyover at a height of 65 ft from ground level

For the very first time in Mumbai the vehicles will ply on a bridge which will be at a height of 65 ft above the ground level on a tri level structure being constructed at the junction of Panjarpol, Chembur. The structure will be a part of the Eastern Freeway that starts from P D’Mello road in South Mumbai and ends at Ghatkopar on Eastern Express Highway.

The state-of-the-art structure being constructed by MMRDA will be a part of a trio of structures that will consist of the flyover being built at a height of 65 ft on the third level, a Mahim Kurla Mankurd Metro line at a height of 20 ft at the second level and level one will be the existing Ramkrishna Chemburkar road.

The Metro line will run parallel above the Ramkrishna Chemburkar road and the elevated road will cross the metro at the Panjarpol junction. The work of the engineering marvel has begun and is expected to be completed in a year’s time. The 65 ft height stretch will comprise of 2+2 lane carriage ways.

“Mumbai is a centre of economic enlargement and hubs of scientific innovations, therefore, for the sustenance of such a city; precedence is required to be given for solving its traffic problems. The traffic bearing capacity of roads within the city can be increased by constructing Tri- level flyovers for smooth traffic flow on busy road junctions”, said Mr. Ratnakar Gaikwad, Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA.

Construction of elevated structure at a height of 65 ft in itself is a mammoth effort which will undertake with the help of huge cranes, launching girders and other machineries.

Another important feature of this project is a twin tube tunnel being constructed in the BARC hill. This will be joined by the elevated road in the Panjarpol junction maintaining the same elevation of 65 ft.

The proposed trio will be a source of pride for Mumbai, which believes many more tourists will come to admire one of the engineering wonders of the 21st Century.