October 31, 2025: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), in coordination with the Mumbai Suburban Collector’s office, on Thursday carried out a major demolition drive at SVP Nagar near Lokhandwala, removing 42 unauthorised slum structures to clear land for the long-awaited Yari Road–Lokhandwala bridge. The new vehicular bridge aims to cut travel time between the two areas from about 35 minutes to just 5 minutes, significantly improving connectivity and reducing congestion in Andheri.
The Rs 42-crore bridge project, two decades in the making, finally gained momentum after the BMC floated tenders in November 2023. The structure will span 393.2 metres across Kavathe Creek, featuring a 110-metre single-span steel arch and approach roads measuring 166 metres on the Yari Road side and 117 metres on the Lokhandwala side. However, the project has faced repeated delays over environmental clearances and encroachments, including the need to remove 48 mangrove trees and relocate structures built on collector land.
Assistant Municipal Commissioner Chakrapani Alle confirmed, “The land encroached by unauthorised slums was collector land. The joint action was carried out with the BMC providing manpower and machinery to demolish 41 residential structures and one religious structure, all under police protection. The area has now been barricaded by the BMC’s bridge department, which will immediately begin work on the construction of the bridge.”
Residents have welcomed the move. Dhaval Shah, founder of the Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens Association (LOCA), said, “The Yari Road bridge has been in the making for decades… Once completed, it will cut travel time for residents of Versova, Yari Road, and Koli Village by over half an hour, while also providing an important access point to the Versova–Bandra Sea Link (VBSL).”
The bridge, first proposed in 2002, received a major boost in 2023 after the Supreme Court dismissed a legal challenge, allowing construction to finally proceed.
Source: The Free Press Journal
