Multimodal corridor from Virar to Alibaug

In its effort to ease Mumbai’s transportation problem and promote the development of regions on the outskirts of Mumbai, the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) has decided to introduce a multi-modal corridor running from Virar to Alibaug.

A multi-modal corridor accommodates multiple modes of transport like metro rail, buses and cycle lane in one stretch. Not only do these corridors offer a smooth travel across town but they are also linked with the regional transportation system.

The suggestion to develop the corridor came out of a Comprehensive Transport Study conducted by MMRDA on the requirement of the entire Mumbai Metropolitan region till 2031. The conclusion was reached after studying the travelling habits of 996 villages. “The purpose is also to develop these areas so that the people here don’t have to travel to Mumbai,” says an MMRDA spokesperson. As per the study, along with the local trains, metro and mono rail and water transport, the area also needs other basic infrastructure facilities for its all- round development.

The Louis Berger Group has been appointed as the project consultant for the project. The five-year-project will take off after the company submits its techno-economic and financial feasibility report in 2011.

The 140km long and 100mts wide corridor will run through Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Dombivli and Panvel before reaching Alibaug. The corridor has been divided into two phases – Phase-I (90km) from Virar to Panvel and Phase-II (50km) from Panvel to Alibaug. With a 30 metre wide metro lane in the median, the corridor will have on both the sides four lane for Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) and four lanes for other traffic, five-metre-wide pedestrian pathways, seven-metre-wide two-lane service roads, 2.5-metre-wide parking lane for four-wheelers, 3.5-meter-wide lane for two-wheelers where even non motorised vehicles will be able to ply and a two-meter-wide footpath. A storm water drainage will run below the footpaths.

It is for the first time in the country that a Bus Rapid Transit System as well as a Metro line will run parallel along a road. The corridor will also have transmission lines like gas and power running along-side. It is expected to cut the travel time between Virar and Alibaug by an hour.

The corridor will also connect with several national highways letting the long distance vehicles pass through Mumbai without even entering the city. The highways that will connect to the corridor include NH3 which stretches up to Delhi and Agra, NH4 that goes to Pune and Chennai, NH8 that comes from Gujarat and NH17 which touches Goa, Mangalore and Kerala. The construction of the corridor, on an average, will keep 1200 trucks at bay from the city reducing noise as well as air-pollution.