Road overbridges (ROBs) and flyovers are being promoted by Mumbai’s planning agencies as solutions to the city’s ongoing traffic problems, but there are growing doubts over whether these initiatives are actually reducing the issue or rather moving bottlenecks to other locations. The opening of several flyovers and ROBs in 2025 and early 2026 may make traffic at important intersections worse rather than better.
The northward extension of the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR) to Santacruz junction, for example, is expected to create severe traffic snarls near Panbai International School on the Western Express Highway, adding to the chaos at an already congested spot. Similarly, the new Vikhroli east-west connector, designed to link the Eastern Express Highway with LBS Road, is anticipated to trigger long queues and jams, particularly near Vikhroli Station Road and Tagore Nagar Junction.
Speaking to mid-day, urban planners, transport experts, civil society organisations, and officials from key agencies—including the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), Public Works Department (PWD), Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), and Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA)—expressed concerns that the city’s relentless construction of flyovers may be exacerbating traffic issues rather than resolving them. With mounting evidence that these elevated structures could be redistributing congestion rather than eliminating it, Mumbai’s transport strategy is now under scrutiny.
Source: Mid- Day
