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The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is planning to create a service road that would run parallel to the Eastern Freeway, which connects P D’Mello Road in south Mumbai to the Eastern Express Highway in Chembur. This would declutter traffic movement and allow smooth movement of ambulance and fire engines along the stretch during emergencies. Senior officials of the BMC’s roads department said the proposed service road would be four kilometres long and would extend between Bhakti Park in Wadala and Jeejamata Chowk. A Rs 620-million fund has been earmarked for this project, they added. “There is a main road beneath the Eastern Freeway flyover that extends between Daya Shankar Marg and Bombay Port Trust (BPT), adjoining which the service road will be created. Earlier, this road was maintained by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and it was handed over to the BMC after the freeway was formally opened. We decided to create this service road since the width of the existing road was inadequate,� a senior official said. The road will be constructed just beneath the flyover and will run parallel to the freeway. “The width of the existing road is 40 metres, while it should be 60 metres generally. The Development Plan of 2034 also mandates creation of a 10-metre-wide service road alongside any main road,� the official added. The BMC has appointed a project consultant who would conduct a scientific survey of the area. The civic body has already floated a tender to finalise contractors for this project and so far, three bidders have responded. The BMC is eyeing a 24-month deadline for this project. See also: Steel Slag Roads: Techno-economic and environmental benefitsMinistry starts mandatory training course on highway DPRs