THANE: The ambitious Katai-Airoli highway project will require 12.5 hectares of land—nearly the size of Shivaji Park within the Thane corporation limits—for constructing and completing the Kalyan-end side of the road link connecting Navi Mumbai with the distant suburbs of Ambernath, Badlapur, and Dombivli-Kalyan.
The issue was discussed during a review meeting on Tuesday, following which the Thane municipal administration informed that they will initiate the process to study the requirement and begin the process to acquire it for executing the third and final phase of the six-lane highway project, which will be funded by the state govt.
“There is a requirement of 12.59 hectares of land in Thane limits for the Airoli-Katai Naka road construction work. A survey will also be conducted to determine how much additional land will be required and the associated costs, following which a revised proposal will be sent to the District Collector for acquisition and to the state for funds to finance the same. The original proposal was for Rs 253 crore,” said an official.
The highway link is one of the big-ticket projects being executed in Thane district, which promises to drastically reduce travel time and distance between the extended suburbs of Kalyan-Badlapur and Navi Mumbai, Mumbai. The highway, largely elevated, starts ahead of the Katai Naka on the Kalyan-Shil road and crosses over the Panvel Mumbra highway to join the Thane-Belapur highway, boring through the Parsik hills.
