India’s longest elevated road to be opened in May

Construction for the first phase of the 9.29 km long Eastern Freeway Project (EFP) in Mumbai has been completed which is paving the way for opening India’s longest elevated urban road by May.
The 16.40 km long EFP is being constructed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) as one of the major infrastructure projects of Mumbai.
“It took 16 lakh cement bags, 32,000 metric tonnes of steel, 3346 girders and 2,600-km long high tension steel strand besides many other niceties”, informed Ashiwini Bhide, Additional Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA.
The EFP is a 16.4-km fast and additional corridor to connect the island city and the eastern suburbs. It runs from Orange Gate to Anik-Panjarpol Link Road and further up to Ghatkopar. It is divided in three parts – One, the 9.29-km corridor from Orange Gate to the beginning of Anik-Panjarpol link road; Two, the 4.3-km corridor from Anik to the beginning of Panjarpol-Ghatkopar link road; and Three, 2.81-km stretch between Panjarpol and Ghatkopar.“This is the longest elevated road in an urban setting in our country. Being the near complete length of Eastern Freeway, it is certain to have the most profound impact on the way the city commutes. It would decongest Sion, Chembur and Dadar areas significantly,” said Sharad Sabnis, Chief Engineer, MMRDA.
The project throws up a few highlights that will make motorists happy. While 12.10 km of the EFP is completely elevated, the 4.3-km long second part of this project showcases 500-metre long twin tunnel and two flyovers. This is the first urban twin tunnel of the country.

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