After nearly a decade of delays, the much-awaited Vidyavihar Road Over Bridge (ROB) in Chembur is now projected to be completed by April 2026. The bridge aims to significantly improve east-west connectivity between Lal Bahadur Shastri (LBS) Marg and Ramkrishna Chemburkar Marg, providing relief to thousands of daily commuters in Mumbai’s eastern suburbs.
Originally included in the city’s 1991 Development Plan, the project only gained momentum in 2016. However, it faced repeated setbacks due to shifting underground utilities, encroachment clearance, and disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Construction officially commenced in late 2018 after necessary design changes were approved by the Railway Ministry’s Research, Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO), but progress was intermittent.
Currently, commuters are forced to take longer detours through Ghatkopar or Kurla to cross the railway tracks, resulting in regular traffic bottlenecks. The 650-metre-long ROB is set to change that, standing as one of Mumbai’s longest bridges, with each girder weighing an estimated 1,100 metric tonnes. The first and second girders were installed in May and November 2023, respectively, followed by the commencement of approach road work in February 2024.
Officials from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) cited challenges such as relocating ticket counters, transplanting trees, clearing 80 illegal structures, and shifting stormwater drains, which collectively led to timeline extensions. The volume of steel required also exceeded initial estimates, adding to the delay.
While the final completion date has now been pushed to mid-2026, local residents remain cautiously optimistic. Although they welcome the new connectivity, concerns linger about potential congestion near the bridge once it becomes operational. Despite the challenges, civic officials remain confident that the Vidyavihar ROB—alongside upcoming bridges in Ghatkopar, Bhandup, and Vikhroli—will offer long-term traffic relief for Mumbai’s eastern corridor.
Source: The Free Press Journal
