Mumbai residents are waiting for three major bridges to open, as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) considers a common inauguration date based on the availability of a VIP guest. The Sion Railway Overbridge, the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR) flyover and the Vidyavihar bridge are expected to be inaugurated together, civic officials said.
The 1.26-km flyover connecting Dindoshi court to Film City and the bridge linking Vidyavihar East and West are ready for use. Meanwhile, finishing work is underway on the Sion Railway Overbridge, a joint project of the BMC and Central Railway.
A civic official said the authorities had expected a VIP to inaugurate the structures on October 14, but the programme could not proceed because the guest was unavailable. “We had expected a VIP to inaugurate them on October 14, but the person was unavailable. A revised date is being considered,” the official said.
Another official said the GMLR and Vidyavihar bridges were completed ahead of their September deadlines, while the Sion bridge was approaching completion four months before its February 2027 deadline. Authorities indicated that an opening date would be announced shortly, although minor finishing work remained.
The delay has triggered criticism from commuters and activists, particularly over the prolonged disruption caused by the closure of the Sion bridge. “I believe Sion bridge is now ready. If that is indeed so, I hope they open it at the earliest without waiting for the availability of people to inaugurate it. It has caused a lot of hardship, and earlier it eases, the better it will be for the public,” Harsha Bhogle wrote on X.
Transport analyst Jagdeep Desai suggested that virtual inaugurations could prevent such delays. RTI activist Anil Galgali and activist Zoru Bhathena also urged the BMC to make the bridges operational without further waiting.
Separately, the BMC has set December 31, 2027, as the target for completing the 1.75-km Juhu-Vile Parle Development Scheme (JVPD) flyover. Additional Municipal Commissioner Abhijit Bangar recently reviewed construction progress and directed officials to accelerate the work.
The flyover, connecting the CD Barfiwala flyover in Andheri West with the Juhu-Versova Link Road, is expected to bypass five major junctions and cut peak-hour travel time from approximately 45 minutes to 20 minutes.
Source: Mid-day
