Mumbai: Deadly combo of old works and new entry cause traffic gridlock in Worli

What are the exact reasons behind the traffic jams at various junctions of Worli after the opening of the Coastal Road officially named Dharmveer Swarajya Rakshak Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Marg A team of midday reporters on Friday tried to explore what exactly has gone wrongThe primary reason for the multiple snarls is various ongoing work owing to which many arterial roads have been narrowed while bypasses have been created for construction vehiclesVehicles on their way from Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan Road Siddharth Nagar to Bindumadhav Thackeray ChowkWhile travelling from Churchgate the Coastal Road goes underground near Charni Road station and comes out near Amarsons Garden close to Bhulabhai Desai Road At present the stretch in the direction of Churchgate has opened while the one in the opposite direction will be opened in May 2024Premonsoon works like road concreting widening of drains and Metro construction are causing congestion in Worli Naka Metro 3 barricades of have blocked the Worli Naka junction at a strategic point Though landfilling is complete the area is used to park heavy construction vehicles by the Metro contractor Traffic diversions have also led to confusion We decided to take a look from Amarsons Garden to Worli to pinpoint congested spots5pmTime Bindu Madhav Thackeray Chowk entry point currently shutsTata GardensBarricades near Tata Gardens at Breach CandyStarting from Kemprsquos Corner along Bhulabhai Desai Road the first barricades start appearing as the road narrows down while a few bypasses open up for construction vehicles for two new entry points under work This has led to the narrowing of roads but traffic at this point was moving and not affected muchHaji Ali JunctionTraffic pours in from all directions at Haji Ali JunctionAfter passing Heera Panna Shopping Cente and approaching Haji Ali Junction the first major traffic choke point appears with a huge onflow of vehicles pouring in from all directions including Mahalaxmi station Tardeo and Kemprsquos Corner The primary reason here is the large inflow and outflow of vehicles and the sudden narrowing down of the road till Lotus Junction for construction workLotus Junction to Atria MallRoad concreting work between Lotus Junction and Atria MallFrom Lotus Junction work has begun on road concreting leading to a few lanes being barricaded and the arterial road being used for three lanes only But the traffic movement is better on this stretch as many vehicles on the way to Worli take the flyover The problem begins for vehicles that do not take the flyover and take a left towards Worli seafaceWorli seafaceTraffic at Worli seaface on Friday evening PicSameer MarkandeThe road movement towards Worli is fastpaced up to the dairy but it is after this that the first signs of a massive traffic jam appear The line of vehicles is long and the real reason behind this is the new intersection formed at the end junction of Worli Seaface Road at Bindumadhav Thackeray Chowk famous for the statue of the Common Man This junction has now become the Worli entry point of the Coastal Road and it stops the flow of traffic from Worli seaface as well as the Podar Hospital side The access to Coastal Road from this point is along the seaside with a 60degree turn and hence the entry to it intersects existing roads and signals Work on phase two of the Coastal Road is also on at this point so is work on connecting the Bandra Worli Sea Link to the structure leading to multiple construction activitiesStretch near Lala Lajpat Rai CollegeThe narrow arterial road packed with traffic near the collegeThis is the real choke point with a huge amount of construction work related to the second phase of Coastal Road going on at this entire stretch New multiple elevated ring roads hover along this road and make landings and breaches into the ongoing traffic road from either side leaving this functional arterial road of just three lanes jammed with slowmoving traffic The narroweddown road also takes a sharp curve at a further point slowing down movement While on one side along the sea the road has been barricaded for new road openings on the other about four lanes of the same road are being concreted to match the elevated landings of the Coastal RoadFriday chaosOn Friday there was more traffic chaos and delays due to the frequent VVIP movement around 5 pm at Bindumadhav Thackeray junction Traffic movement on two other incoming roads was halted Also lastminute confusion on the road led to many vehicles backing out from the Coastal Road entry point affecting traffic Motorists were not sure which road to take due to lack of right signage Coastal Road entry was not shut at 5 pm on Friday as cops said they were waiting for further directivesCommuterSpeakldquoI feel they have missed a design feature in the planning stage They should have had an entry and exit to the tunnels at the Kilachand Garden at the signalwhere one turns from Chowpatty to Babulnath temple Cars coming down Walkeshwar Road from Gamdevi Gowalia Tank Girgaon and Opera House can enter and exit the Coastal Road only after driving near Hindu Gymkhanardquo Jagdeep Desai architect academician founder trustee and chairperson Forum for Improving Quality of Life in Mumbai saidldquoNow there are massive traffic snarls as vehicles get off the sea link and then turn left towards that shooting range Then they move towards Bindumadhav Thackeray Chowk and then take a 60degree Uturn to reach the Coastal Road Also vehicles coming from Worli Naka on that narrow road to Bindumadhav Thackeray Chowk also jam traffic Once the Coastal Road is connected to the sea link it will be usefulrdquo a commuter Siddhartha Fondekar said Commuter Shreyas Shinde said ldquoAt least in the initial days the Mumbai traffic police should refrain from issuing challans and fining motorists as they are still adapting to the changes Also signage has not been put up prominently Treat VIPs on a par with others and do not stop all motorists for themrdquoWith inputs from Prasun Choudhari