Kopri bridge expansion in sight - NEWS ARTICLE IN DNA

Kopri bridge expansion in sight New design of the project, an 8-lane road, is now ready with the Public Works Department (PWD) Padmja Sinha @PADMJA Thane: The issue of Kopri bridge expansion has been shrouded in doubt for a decade now and, despite fervent attempts, the issue remains unresolved. However, a breakthrough now seems possible. The new design of the project, an 8-lane road, is now ready with the PWD (Public Works department) and will be shortly forwarded to the Central Railway for approval. Residents had, in the past, even carried out a signature campaign, as reported by dna. As many as 1,179 people supported the cause then. Over the years, there has been considerable increase in vehicular traffic in the city, but the Kopri bridge remained a 2X2-lane road. The bridge is an important link between Thane and Mumbai for motorists and most use this stretch to go towards Mumbai, causing heavy traffic during peak hours. Both, the Railways and the PWD have been passing the buck since 2003, and the delay resulted in escalated project costs — from Rs9 crore to Rs50 crore. Activist Satyajit Shah, a resident Nilesh Ambekar and MLC Sanjay Kelkar have been actively following the project, and the signature campaign initiated by the residents has resulted in the impressive progress. Regulars on the Kopri bridge inform that it takes more than 10-15 minutes to cross a patch of 250 metre and it is very insensitive on the part of the officials to not consider this a big problem. Muninder Suvid, a regular commuter, informs, “It is high time that the offiicals acknowledged the problem. Now that the design is ready, we hope the Railways act wisely and issues necessary permissions and blocks to initiate the work and complete it on time, lest the budget shoots up further.” Ramesh Agwane, executive engineer, PWD informs, “The 8-lane expansion design is ready with us. Once it is approved, we hope to start the work within a month, without any further delay. Agwane adds, “I will try my best to complete the work on time. Railway officials have also assured help.” Central Railway PRO AK Singh informs, “Now that the expansion design is ready, we will ensure that it is approved. Once the approval is granted, work will commence without much delay.” Published Date: Jan 23, 2014

Shri. Sanjay Kelkar Explaining the issue