The MMRDA is planning to construct a twin tunnel at the footsteps of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) mountain.

A part of the four-lane Eastern Freeway project, the twin tunnels are expected to be half a km in length each; with 17 mtrs in width and 10 mtrs in height, with four carriageways in each tunnel. The tunnel is to start from Ashok Nagar at the footsteps of the BARC mountain and end at Gautam Nagar, near Panjarpole.

The four-lane Eastern Freeway project starts near P D'Mello road and will go on till the MbPT Road before joining the Eastern Express Highway via the Anik-Panjrapole Link Road near Wadala, covering a distance of 12 km. Of these, 9 km is to be elevated.

The Rs 221 crore tunnel project is slated to be completed by December 2010. Land has been acquired from Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) and BARC for the project. The authority had to reroute the HPCL aviation pipeline, so a new boundary wall was constructed for part of the BARC land.

The tunnel is an essential connect and a major part of the Mumbai urban infrastructure project; once completed, the 21-km-long Eastern Freeway project will significantly reduce travel time between South Mumbai and the eastern suburbs like Ghatkopar and Mulund.

Also, the project is likely to include a sub-road adjacent to the existing MbPT road to enable quick movement of heavy vehicles that converges to the wholesale markets and trading areas in the southern parts of the city.

Also See:

MMRDA to resettle commercial structures to fast-track Eastern Freeway (22-April-10)

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