South Mumbai-Ghatkopar travel to take 30-minutes from tomorrow

MUMBAI: Commuting time between south Mumbai and Ghatkopar will be reduced to 30 minutes now as the entire 16.4-km Eastern Freeway will become completely operational from tomorrow.

Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan will inaugurate the last leg of the 2.8-km Panjarpol-Ghatkopar link road as well as the 580-metre south-bound lanes of the Kherwadi junction flyover of the over Rs 1,400 crore freeway project tomorrow, according to a release here.

"The completion of these two stretches means completion of the entire 16.4-km-long Eastern Freeway. It now provides unhindered connectivity from southern Mumbai to the eastern suburbs," said the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).

The Eastern Freeway is a controlled-access freeway that connects P D'Mello Road in south Mumbai to the Eastern Express Highway at Ghatkopar.

"Commuters will now be able to reach Ghatkopar from Orange Gate in a mere 30 minutes. The motorists will avoid traffic congestion at Dadar, Sion, Chembur, Kurla and Mankhurd," the release said.

The Freeway is divided into three phases -- Orange Gate to Anik Junction (9.3-km), Anik Junction to Panjarpol Link Road (4.3-km) and Panjarpol to Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road (2.8- km).

MMRDA had already thrown open the first two parts of the Freeway, from Orange Gate to Anik and Anik to Panjarpol.