Milan subway ROB opens to traffic in Jan

The 700-metre Milan subway rail over-bridge (ROB), which has missed several deadlines over the past four years, will be opened to traffic in January 2013.

MMRDA started Sunday construction of a 61-metre steel bridge over suburban railway tracks near Santacruz, the last section of the ROB.

The construction was held up as MMRDA was negotiating a clearance from Western Railway for general arrangement drawings and awaiting railway blocks.

The ROB will provide great relief to commuters who have to cross the Milan subway, a major bottleneck and a chronic flooding spot during monsoons.

"The Milan subway is flood-prone. People seeking east-west connectivity curse it every monsoon. The launch of the largest span without support over railway tracks was possible after a successful meeting with railway authorities," said Dilip Kawathkar, MMRDA spokesperson.

MMRDA expects to complete the ROB by December, after which it will work on the finishing.

The cost of the over-bridge, which has been under construction for more than four years, has swelled to Rs 84 crore from Rs 49 crore.

MMRDA had first approached Western Railway for approval to extend the bridge over tracks in 2008. The railway authorities changed the design on two occasions. First, they insisted on a steel girder instead of a concrete one and next it altered the spans.

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