While everyone is enjoying the ride on the new multiple-arm Kalanagar flyover connecting Bandra Kurla Complex-Bandra Worli Sea Link-Sion Dharavi Link Road; don’t forget about the old one right on the Western Express Highway. It has some repair work to go which is vital for the integrity of the flyover for which the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is working on.
Every time a vehicle passes by on this flyover there is a bump that motorists experience. Sources said that there are issues on the strip joints of Kalanagar flyover which shall now be replaced. According to engineers, these metal strip joints connect two girders of a flyover that also needs attention apart from the road surface.
This old Kalanagar flyover was constructed in the mid-1990s but apparently handed over to MMRDA only in 2017 or so by the Public Works Department. "We are now going to work on repairing and replacing these strip joints," said sources in MMRDA. There have been complaints of potholes too on the road surface of this flyover that slows down speeds of vehicles.
This comes at a time when the MMRDA built new flyovers at Kalanagar with two separate arms; a revamp of Kalanagar junction is in progress. In a bid to decongest the Kalanagar Junction, these flyovers each starting from BKC to Worli Sealink, Sealink to BKC and lastly the Sion Dharavi flyover towards Sealink. There are also plans of constructing a 2828 sq.meters large public plaza below the flyover.
This will be accessible from both sides of the flyover and shall have a linear water body with a series of fountains in descending heights. There would be planters and flower beds besides these water bodies. Seating arrangements for the citizens, lined with shading trees, light art sculpture at the entrance of the plaza is also being planned.
The Kalanagar junction connects Western Express Highway, BKC and Sion-Dharavi road. The proposed Metro-2B will also be passing Kalanagar junction and will be connected to this plaza. The MMRDA is also concretizing the WEH connecting the Kalanagar junction for better rider experience.
