October 3, 2025: With the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) expected to commence operations shortly, civic and traffic authorities have begun preparing measures to manage the anticipated surge in vehicles across key routes in the city. The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) is in discussions with the traffic police to divert heavy vehicles via the MIDC corridor from Uran Phata, a move aimed at decongesting the Sion–Panvel Highway, which is likely to become one of the busiest approaches to the airport. Municipal Commissioner Kailash Shinde said Palm Beach Road, the city’s principal arterial link from Thane and Vashi, will carry both local and airport-bound traffic, leaving it particularly vulnerable to bottlenecks. He stressed that upgrading and maintaining the road would be the civic body’s top priority since widening options are limited.
Several infrastructure projects are already underway to strengthen connectivity. These include the construction of a flyover at Turbhe, the Airoli–Katai Naka flyover, and phased concreting of stretches of Palm Beach Road up to the NMMC headquarters. Shinde explained that projects are being carried out sequentially to avoid worsening congestion by executing them simultaneously. At the same time, the NMMC is coordinating with the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) to ensure connecting roads are reinforced, as traffic from Mulund is expected to converge at Airoli, while vehicles from Vashi heading towards Mumbai are also likely to add to the load.
DCP Traffic Tirupati Kakade said widening Palm Beach Road near Killa Junction is being examined, including the possible removal of the footpath opposite the Killa structure. While congestion is anticipated, he added that signals at key junctions and proposed flyovers by the National Highways Authority of India should help keep traffic moving.
The NMIA is scheduled to be inaugurated on 8 October by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Industrialist Gautam Adani flew in earlier this week to inspect the airport’s readiness.
Source: The Free Press Journal
