Thane: Motorists navigating Thane, including local commuters and those travelling between Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Nashik and Gujarat, could see relief from chronic traffic congestion over the next two years as major infrastructure projects, including Metro 4 and the coastal road, ease pressure on the city’s overstretched road network, Transport minister Pratap Sarnaik said on Monday.“The Ghodbunder highway expansion will resume after Diwali, while the coastal road and the link connecting Payegaon with Nagla Bunder are expected to help divert heavy vehicles away from Thane’s arterial roads,” Sarnaik said after reviewing Metro 4 and Metro 4A progress with Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) officials.“The traffic congestion presently faced by residents will ease in the next two years once these projects are completed,” he said.Sarnaik said the first phase of Metro 4 could operate between Gaimukh and Cadbury Junction via Kasarvadavli. CM Devendra Fadnavis last September had announced the first phase to be operational by December 2025 but the works got delayed. Recently, Sarnaik had also announced the phase-1 run to be curtailed at Kapurbawdi.“We have targeted a December-end opening for the first phase,” he said, adding that the nine stations on the stretch would help ease congestion along Ghodbunder highway. With limited train frequency initially, a technical pit at Gaimukh would suffice for routine rake maintenance.Meanwhile, activists questioned whether the partial metro operations would significantly benefit office-goers without seamless connectivity to railway stations and key city limits, leaving commuters dependent on road transport for last-mile travel.The minister, who represents Ovala-Majiwada, also said work on plans for the five-station Metro corridor connecting Gaimukh with Dahisar and linking Metro Lines 9 and 4 could also see some traction soon.
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