Metal car decks,Impressed by virtual presentation,BMC approves plan to decongest busy junction The plan to decongest the Haji Ali junction,South Mumbais busiest intersection,leading to Peddar Road has been okayed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. The proposal has been forwarded for approval to the Mumbai Polices Traffic Department and the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation,which will build the Peddar Road flyover. Last year,Medulla-Soft was appointed consultant to study the traffic problem at the junction and suggest solutions through virtual simulation. In the new plan,the firm has proposed a car deck (a single-lane metal flyover) close to the Haji Ali Juice Centre. The car deck will run over the Cadbury Junction and end on Bhulabhai Desai Road. Another car deck from the Tardeo Road will end on Lala Lajpatrai Marg going towards Worli. A U-turn has been proposed 700 metres from the junction on Lala Lajpatrai Marg for motorists coming from South Mumbai and going towards Tardeo Road or Keshavrao Khadye Marg towards Mahalaxmi. Earlier,a U-turn at 500 metres on the same road was abandoned after it lead to pile-ups. Additional Municipal Commissioner (Roads & Traffic) Aseem Gupta said he was impressed with the recreation of the actual traffic scenario in a virtual 3D environment. The technology used to carry out the virtual simulation is state-of-the-art and we need to be open to such ideas in order to keep progressing. The virtual results seem to ease traffic at the busy junction and we have asked the consultants to present their ideas to the MSRDC that is going to build the Peddar Road flyover and the Mumbai traffic police whose consent is of prime importance, said Gupta. Last May,the consultant had proposed a signalised roundabout at the junction and a car deck starting from the Haji Ali Juice Centre,looping over the sea; its one arm landing on the Racecourse Road and the other towards Tardeo. The plan was rejected by the Traffic Police. If the new plan is implemented,the average stoppage time for motorists at the junction will reduce from 13-18 minutes to around 6-9 minutes,a Medulla-Soft official said. To build a flyover,the road will have to be partially closed which will worsen the situation. Car decks can just be assembled at the site in a short period of time and we can avoid traffic problems. These car decks will be a good temporary solution till the Peddar Road flyover is built, said Gupta.
