Thane: Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday announced the Rs 200-crore worth Teen Hath Naka Traffic Improvement Project aimed at decongesting one of Asia’s busiest traffic junctions and reshaping mobility across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.As per the MMRDA, the project entails constructing a dedicated elevated 2.76km long corridor. A 1.9km-long U-shaped flyover will connect Hariniwas on the LBS road that will turn left on the EEH and run parallel to the existing Teen Hath Naka flyover towards Anand Nagar direction and take a U-turn and move towards the junction from the opposite lane and take a left towards Modella junction. A 120m connect will link the corridor to the Mumbai-bound lane of the existing flyover and another 720m elevated link will connect with the new Thane railway station elevated link.The elevated link will make four of the seven major traffic movements signal-free at the Teen Hath Naka junction located enroute the Mumbai-Thane- Ghodbunder, Gujarat and Nashik and Samruddhi corridor, Shinde said.It may be recalled that the junction was found to be one of the most congested spots in Asia during a review during former municipal commissioner Aseem Gupta’s tenure considering that the wait at the signal often extended to 15 minutes. Accordingly, several options were being considered to ease the congestion at the spot, including constructing a grade separator before the Teen Hath Naka Traffic Improvement Project was finalised.“The project which was conceptualised and sanctioned during Shinde’s tenure as CM has now entered the execution phase and is likely to be completed within 18 months once work commences. Once operational, the project will transform the city’s busiest intersection into a faster, safer and more efficient transport corridor by significantly reducing travel time, fuel consumption and traffic snarls not just for city motorists but also for inter-city and inter-state traffic,” Shinde said while speaking at the foundation stone-laying ceremony.Shinde also directed officials and contractors to complete the work within the stipulated timeline, stressing that infrastructure projects must be delivered on schedule without unnecessary delays.
