Sachin bridge to make twin-city concept a reality

June 19, 2013

Himansshu Bhatt, TNN |

SURAT: The 700-metre-long rail overbridge atSachin on Surat-Navsari Road is now ready after one-year delay. The work on the two-laneoverbridge had started four years ago. This bridge, built at a cost of Rs 18 crore, will cater to over 20,000 per car units (PCU) and 5,000 commercial vehicles per day (CVD).

The bridge is expected to play a significant role in the development of Surat and Navsari as twin cities in the future. It will reduce travel time by 40 minutes from Udhna-Surat to Navsari town in a car. The lanes of the bridge are 30 and 28 metre wide.Surat Urban Development Authority (SUDA) executive engineer PI Patel, said, “The bridge was to be ready by June 2012, but due to some unavoidable circumstances it could not be.”The bridge is located halfway between Surat and Navsari. “The bridge will be a major junction for heavy vehicular traffic on way to Hajira from National Highway 8. These vehicles coming from Mumbai or Ahmedabad need not enter Surat city,” Patel said.

The National Highway Authority (NHA) is building a six-lane bridge next to this rail overbridge that connects Palsana to Hajira. One lane has been completed so far. This infrastructure development is central to overall development of the proposed freight corridor of Surat-Hajira When Surat-Navsari twin cities become a reality in 2026 with a population of 1.20 crore, this ROB will bear the maximum burden of traffic going to and from Surat to Navsari. In the next five years, the vehicular traffic is likely to double.The ROB has been built from the funds sanctioned under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM). It would be dedicated to the people by this month-end

Source-http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com