MMRDA plans signal-free BKC to unclog biz hub

In its plan to improve traffic management in the business hub of Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is looking at a long-term plan of making the whole complex signal-free.

The BKC, which is a major commercial complex in the city, is very congested. A 2017 study in the G-block of BKC indicates that close to 50,000 vehicles enter the block during peak hours in a day.

Officials fear that the situation will worsen with the construction of the Mumbai-Gujarat bullet train project in the area. Currently, there are several on-going infrastructure projects like the fully underground Metro-3 (Colaba-Bandra-Seepz), BKC-Eastern Express highway connector, Kalanagar flyover and the Santacruz-Chembur Link road extension.

K Vijaylakshmi, chief, transport and communications, said, “With the Jio convention centre, the bullet train project and the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC), there will be a lot of congestion in the future too. We may not be able to achieve 100% results with the signal-free project, but we will try as much as possible.”

The authority is looking at floating tenders to appoint a consultant in the next month. It has already floated global tenders for a signal-free “access-control system” on the Western Express Highway (WEH), a congested arterial road in the city. All bids for the WEH project are expected to be in by May 28.

The MMRDA is the special planning authority for BKC. The authority is planning a traffic-management overhaul in BKC. It is also in the process of taking up a pilot project to make all internal roads in the G-Block one-way. Recently, MMRDA also renamed the roads in BKC. The roads have nomenclature like avenues, streets and lanes, similar to that in international cities.