THANE: In a major development aimed at easing Dombivli’s chronic traffic congestion, the standing committee of the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) has approved a proposal for a four-lane road overbridge (ROB) at the crucial Mothagaon railway level crossing. Once operational, the ROB is expected to reduce travel time between Dombivli and Thane via the Mankoli bridge from around an hour to approximately 25 minutes.The project, estimated to cost around ₹170 crore, will be executed in coordination with Central Railway. The decision paves the way for the long-pending infrastructure project by clearing key operational bottlenecks for the twin cities.The bridge has been in the pipeline for nearly two decades. It was first conceptualised in 2007 by former mayor Pundlik Mhatre. During his tenure, an initial proposal was sent to the state government, which sanctioned ₹23 crore. However, the project hit a roadblock after work began on the Central government’s Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL) project, stalling its execution.Initially planned as a single-lane structure, the project was redesigned following sustained opposition from citizens and local representatives. After Pundlik Mhatre, BJP corporator Dipesh Mhatre had been pursuing the project since 2013, maintaining that a narrow bridge would quickly become inadequate given Dombivli’s growing vehicle numbers and population. Following sustained demands for a wider, four-lane bridge as a long-term solution, the revised proposal received clearance in 2017, along with the demarcation of municipal land.The initiative also received support from state leaders. Then urban development minister Eknath Shinde helped facilitate initial financial support, while Dombivli MLA and Maharashtra BJP chief Ravindra Chavan and Kalyan MP Dr Shrikant Shinde actively followed up with the concerned authorities.Dipesh Mhatre said, “With standing committee approval, the contractor who has been awarded the contract can actually start work on the ground in the coming few days.”Mhatre also said that once the Mothagaon ROB is constructed, many Dombivli residents who depend on trains to travel to Thane for work will be able to use their vehicles to reach the city in around 25 minutes.
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