New flyover to link Kalina, Kurla from Friday

Mumbai: After a three-year wait due to litigations, the 560-m Kurla-Kalina flyover over LBS Marg will be opened to public by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Friday.      At present, over 50,000 vehicles use the junction during the peak hour as LBS Marg is an important southnorth connector. The proximity of Kurla station adds to the traffic on the stretch.      Once the flyover is opened, motorists going towards Santa Cruz and BKC from Kurla station and vice versa will be able to save around 15 minutes of travel time. The flyover spans between Mithi river towards BKC and Kalina. The Old Agra bridge was demolished to pave the way for the flyover, which has been completed at a cost of Rs 16 crore.      Some residents and shop owners had objected to the acquisition of their land and property for the project. "The litigation delayed the flyover work by three to four years. Residents of Mhada building and some shop owners towards Kurla had approached court. After compensating and resettling project-affected people four months ago, work picked up pace and the flyover was completed recently," said chief engineer Subhash Nage of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC).      The construction of the flyover, which is part of the ambitious but much-delayed Santa Cruz Chembur Link road (SCLR), was started in 2005. SAVE TIME: The flyover over LBS Marg was built for Rs 16cr