Santa Cruz–Chembur Link Road (SCLR) | |
---|---|
The SCLR (in purple) linking the Western and Eastern Express Highways (in green).
|
|
Route information | |
Maintained by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation | |
Length: | 6.45 km (4.01 mi) |
Existed: | 18 April 2014 – present |
Major junctions | |
West end: | Western Express Highway, Santacruz |
CST Road in Santacruz (East) LBS Marg in Kurla (West) |
|
East end: |
Eastern Express Highway, Tilak Nagar, Chembur |
Location | |
States: | Maharashtra |
Districts: | Mumbai Suburban |
Major cities: | Mumbai |
Highway system | |
The Santa Cruz–Chembur Link Road, shortened to SCLR, is a 6.45-kilometre-long (4.01 mi) arterial road in Mumbai, connecting the Western Express Highway (WEH) in Santa Cruz with the Eastern Express Highway (EEH) in Chembur. It contains the city's first and India's second double-decker flyover. The six-lane road was constructed as part of the World Bank-funded Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) at a cost of ₹454 crore (US$71 million). The World Bank withdrew funding midway through the project due to repeated delays, and the second phase was financed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) with its own funds.
The SCLR was severely delayed, taking more than 11 years for the work to be completed. Groundwork for the road, originally slated to start in 2003, did not get underway until 2007. The project missed 12 deadlines since the original deadline of November 2004. The SCLR was termed an "engineering marvel" by the National Geographic Society, and was described by the World Bank as the "world's most delayed road project".
A portion of the SCLR, the 560 m Kurla–Kalina flyover over LBS Marg, was opened to the public on 10 August 2012. The SCLR was opened to the public on 18 April 2014.
Wilbur Smith and Associates were commissioned in 1962 to study and make recommendations on transportation issues in Greater Mumbai. ) was commissioned to in mid-1962. Their report, filed with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on 19 December 1963, proposed the construction of several link roads to improve east–west connectivity in the city. Among the projects proposed was a 4-lane road linking Santacruz in the west with Chembur in the east.