Thane civic body expedites ₹10,000-cr twin tunnel project

The civic body at Thane in Maharashtra has taken initiatives to speed up ₹10,000 crore Thane-Borivli twin road tunnel project. The Thane Municipal Corporation has received a proposal to approve certain changes in the alignment as a major chunk of the land on the route of the tunnel is reserved for a botanical and zoological park, Thane transport depot, and road development plan. In addition, there are also a few residential patches and a green zone in Borivade that will need to be altered as per requirement. Now the civic agency is carrying out changes to ensure smooth execution of the project. A recent survey had revealed that around 8.4 ha in the Majiwada-Manpada administrative ward is required for access to the Thane-Borivli road, while another 25.6 ha is needed for the underground tunnel link.

A study of the possible entry-exit points for the six-lane highway was conducted a few months back by multiple agencies, including the MMRDA, and is now being executed. As per initial plans, the highway, along with its 11-km-long tunnel will connect Thane at Manpada and Borivli near the Magathane BEST depot, drastically cutting down travel time. The tunnels will be drilled under the Sanjay Gandhi National Park using TBMs and each of the two tunnels will have three lanes for traffic and one for pedestrians.