To ease commute and vehicular movement, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is gearing up to open seven bridges in different parts of the island city as well the suburban belt for smooth traffic flow.
Where will the 7 bridges be located
All the seven bridges are located in some of the key traffic choking points in Mumbai. The seven bridges, include a new bridge connecting Bandra and Dharavi over Mithi River originating near the Bandra Fire station and merging with the Western Express Highway (WEH); a railway over-bridge (ROB) near Vikhroli railway station that would pass above the railway tracks in Mumbai; the under-construction Carnac overbridge located at P’D Mello road between Sandhurst Road and Masjid Bunder; a new vehicular bridge at Jai Hind Colony (Mulund); an extended bridge adjoining the Mrunaltai Gore Flyover at Goregaon; construction and demolition of new ROB connecting Shankar Lane and Irani wadi at Kandivali (west) and construction of another bridge at Charkop.
How will the bridges help Mumbai city?
While some of these bridges are shorter in size, once operational they will bring in serious respite for traffic. For example, the Carnac overbridge is a key east-west connector that will ease traffic at P’D Mello road. Similarly, once operational, the bridge over Mithi River will decongest the Mahin Church junction and Mahim causeway. An extended arm of this bridge will also provide connectivity to the Western Express Highway (WEH) as well as Coastal Road. Similarly, the extension of Mrunaltai Gore flyover is expected to end kilometre-long traffic snarls recorded during the peak hours.
Cost of the bridges:
The collective valuation of the seven bridges goes above Rs 700 crore. The most expensive among them is the bridge passing above the Mithi River, mooted at a cost of Rs 220 crore, followed by Mrunal Tai flyover extension that has been pegged at Rs 200 crore.
Timeline:
BMC, in its budget document, has announced that all these seven bridges will be ready by March 2025 and will be opened for vehicular movement in a phased manner. Some of the bridges such as the Mrunaltai extension, and Nahur ROB have been in the pipeline since 2017-18 and are set to bring immense respite to commuters. Similarly, the Carnac bridge was razed in 2022 and in the same year, the Mithi River bridge was conceptualised.
Administration speaks:
“To ease the traffic movement in Mumbai we have designed a network of bridges across the city, most of which will be opened this year. Instead of opting for phased opening, we are working towards full completion of each project at a time to provide full respite to citizens and to avert cost escalation as well,” Abhijit Bangar, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects), told The Indian Express.
