Mumbai: The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) is planning to construct a creek bridge to link two north-western coastal points Malad`s Madh Jetty with Andheri`s Versova, an official said here on Saturday.
Mayor Sunil Prabhu, who chaired a meeting in this connection with concerned officials said that of the three options available to connect Madh Jetty-Versova, one of them should be pursued immediately.
The proposal, if approved at all levels, including the state government and the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, would provide much-needed relief to the people living on both sides, separated by just a 500-metre wide creek.
Presently, the only road connection between Madh Jetty-Versova is 22 km long, besides a regular ferry service on the creek. However, the ferry service is risky during the monsoon when the Arabian Sea gets very rough, it was pointed out.
Earlier, there was a proposal to construct a sky-walk linking the two points, but local fishing folk, villagers and defence forces insisted that a bridge across the creek would be a more practical option and should be considered.
This would boost the development of the vast areas on the Malad side as well as provide an alternative road connection between Bandra and Borivali via the proposed bridge across the Versova Creek.
Mumbai already has several bridges across narrow and wide creeks connecting various points, including the road and rail bridges on the Mahim Creek, providing a mid-way link between south and north Mumbai.
On the outskirts, the Mumbai island is connected with the mainland at various points cutting through the Thane Creek, besides the showpiece Rajiv Gandhi Bandra-Worli sea link, and the upcoming Mumbai Trans Harbour Link.
IANS
