67% of six-lane Atal Setu-Mumbai-Pune Expressway elevated connector complete

Motorists leaving Mumbai for Pune cross Atal Setu easily, but then lose a good deal of time in traffic jams around Panvel. On weekends and holidays, long queues of vehicles build up at the Panvel junction. To end the problem, a six-lane elevated connector is being built to link Atal Setu directly with the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. Some 67 per cent of the project is complete. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) estimates that the route will save 60 to 90 minutes on the journey to Pune once it opens.

Atal Setu has made travel between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai faster. But vehicles heading towards Pune and Goa have to contend with the jam in the Panvel area after crossing the bridge. At present, the existing road is the main route from Atal Setu to the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, which crowds the area around the Panvel junction. The problem worsens on holidays and at peak hours.

To find a permanent solution, the authority decided to build a separate elevated route from the Chirle and Palaspe areas. About 7.35 km long, the six-lane road will link Atal Setu directly with the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. Motorists will not have to get stuck in the Panvel junction jam and will be able to reach the expressway directly.

The elevated road is being built at the third level, above the structures of existing roads and bridges. Work on erecting piers in the Chirle area is almost complete, with 153 of the 155 piers in place, or 98 per cent. Of the 240 spans fixed for the deck slab, work on 117 is done. The railway flyover is also 85 per cent complete. In the Palaspe section, 71 per cent of the pile group foundation work has been done. Pier erection, the railway flyover and several other works are moving quickly.

The connector will benefit more than motorists travelling from Mumbai to Pune. Vehicles using Navi Mumbai International Airport, the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), the Mumbai-Goa Highway and national highways will also get relief. Passenger vehicles and goods vehicles bound for Pune, Goa and Bengaluru will travel faster.

MMRDA Metropolitan Commissioner Dr Sanjay Mukherjee said the connector is being built to extend the connectivity created by Atal Setu towards Pune and Goa, rather than limiting it to Navi Mumbai. According to him, it is an important milestone in cutting travel time, ending jams at key junctions and speeding up journeys.

After the road opens, motorists heading from South Mumbai towards Pune will be able to avoid the Panvel jam and reach the expressway directly. Besides easing the journey, it is expected to save time and fuel.