To ease pedestrian movement on the congested Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg (LBS), the BMC will be constructing a skywalk at the Maharana Pratap Junction in Mulund West. For further seamless connectivity, it will also be integrated with the BEST depot and a proposed Metro station.
The LBS Marg is one of the busiest routes with heavy traffic. Due to the BEST depot at Mulund West, there is always heavy pedestrian movement on this road. However, the five roads connecting to the junction make it difficult for pedestrians to cross the road. Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) P Velrasu said, “A survey was recently conducted to find out the pedestrian count and traffic volume on this road. After study, a feasibility report was prepared by a consultancy firm. Considering various options, it was decided to construct a skywalk.”
The skywalk is expected to give some relief to the regular pedestrians in this area. As per the officials of the bridge department, the proposed skywalk will be 451.16-metre-long and 3-metre-wide. It will be constructed through the pile foundation method and will consist of steel composite plate girders with 125 mm thick concrete deck slabs. Also, anti-slip tile slabs are proposed in escalators, while polypropylene sheets will be used for roofing. The construction of the foundation will be carried out through pile foundation. The bridge will be paved with concrete slabs. The work is expected to be completed in one-and-a-half years.
Member of Parliament Manoj Kotak said, “The road is crowded as its sees movement of regular pedestrians from Mulund Check Naka, Kisan Nagar and Wagale Estate. We also have a municipal school in this area, so a skywalk is much needed here. The proposed Metro station will also increase pedestrian movement. We had long back demanded a skywalk, which would finally become a reality soon.”
