Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated three major flyovers in Mumbai on October 22, aiming to improve connectivity, ease traffic congestion and shorten commuting times across the city. The projects include railway overbridges at Sion and Vidyavihar, along with a flyover forming part of the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR).
Speaking at the inauguration, Fadnavis highlighted the state government’s ambition to make travel between different parts of Mumbai faster and more convenient.
“These infrastructure projects will be important in our plan to reach from one part of Mumbai to another in 50 to 60 minutes,” he said, adding that smoother traffic movement would improve the overall ease of living.
Sion Bridge Completed Ahead of Schedule
The reconstructed Sion railway overbridge replaces a 112-year-old British-era structure that was declared unsafe in 2019. According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the new bridge was completed four months before its scheduled February 2027 deadline.
The structure will accommodate the planned fifth and sixth railway lines between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Kurla under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project-II (MUTP-II). These additional tracks are expected to increase suburban train capacity and improve long-distance railway operations.
Vidyavihar Bridge to Cut Commuting Time
The Vidyavihar railway overbridge connects Ramchandra Chemburkar Marg on the eastern side with Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg on the west. The new connection is expected to reduce travel time between the two areas from approximately 30 minutes to just 10 minutes.
Fadnavis said the bridge would also ease congestion on the existing Ghatkopar railway overbridge, improving movement between neighbourhoods.
GMLR Flyover Strengthens Road Connectivity
The third project is a 1.26-km flyover near Hotel Ratnagiri junction in Goregaon East. Built as part of the GMLR initiative, it links General Arun Kumar Vaidya Marg with Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari Road near Santosh Nagar.
Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, state ministers Ashish Shelar and Mangal Prabhat Lodha, and Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde attended the inauguration.
Together, the three projects are expected to strengthen Mumbai’s transport network, improve east-west connectivity and support the government’s broader goal of reducing cross-city travel times to 50–60 minutes.
Source: The Free Press Journal
