MUMBAI: Motorists using the Dahisar check naka could get some relief in the coming days as multiple agencies will take steps for decongestion including removal of encroachments and constructing a bypass road.
Cabinet Minister Aditya Thackeray on Sunday tweeted that he has been receiving complaints about traffic issues at the toll naka. One of the key reasons for snarls is potholes on the stretch and the absence of Fastag lanes. The toll naka is an entry point to North Mumbai and witnesses movement of lakhs of vehicles everyday.
Thackeray said in his tweet that he has reviewed the situation with the BMC, the MMRDA, Mumbai Traffic Police and the MSRDC and initiated an action plan.
The BMC's Jumbo Covid Care Centre had put up cabins which consumed a part of the service road. "A few extension cabins from the Covid Care Centre will be removed and the service road will be handed over," said assistant municipal commissioner of R/ North ward, Mridula Ande.
Traffic Police said work to remove a welcome arch at the check naka has been on for two months and once the arch is removed, motorists can be accommodated. "The biggest problem is potholes on both sides of the toll naka, even beneath the welcome arch. Complaints of water logging and potholes on the Mira-Bhayander side seldom receive any response from concerned authorities," a traffic cop pointed out.
TV actor Rajiv Paul said that he had been using the route daily to travel for shoots and that it was a mess in peak hours. "If I travel as early as 5.30 am, the route is clear from Malad to Naigaon and I am able to reach sets in half an hour. But post 8 am, congestion starts building and it takes almost two hours to use the same stretch. There are several hiccups including no dedicated FASTag (RFID Tag) lanes nor automated machines for providing toll payment receipts," he said. Sources said ongoing Metro construction is the reason FASTag conversion cannot be done. During lockdown, police nakabandis added to the snarls.
"When it comes to long term planning, we are exploring the construction of bypass road parallel to the current south-bound stretch of Western Express Highway (WEH). There are some existing structures there and litigation is on. Once the matter is resolved, we will construct additional roads to further decongest traffic in the area," she added. A turn could be taken via the south-bound lane of the WEH to use this internal road. There is also some road resurfacing that the civic authorities plan to take up for smooth movement of vehicles.
