January 29, 2026: Mumbai’s long history of puzzling flyover designs has found a new talking point in Mira–Bhayandar, where a yet-to-be-opened flyover has drawn sharp public scrutiny for abruptly narrowing from four lanes to two. The structure, located in the Mira–Bhayandar suburb adjoining Mumbai, runs parallel to Metro Line 9 and connects Mira Bhayandar Road with Golden Nest Circle — one of the area’s busiest junctions where five roads converge and traffic remains heavy throughout the day.
Videos and images of the flyover’s sudden lane reduction have gone viral on social media, triggering concerns about safety and congestion. Several users questioned how vehicles would safely merge into the central lanes, warning of traffic bottlenecks and accident risks. One Reddit user remarked, “That chokepoint is going to create more traffic jams than the flyover was intended to reduce. Not to mention vehicles launching themselves into thin air at night.” Another post on X said, “Four lanes to two with an abrupt choke point is not ‘future planning’. It’s crash engineering. If space is tight, you design a proper taper, merge length, signage, and speed control. Who signed off on this, and where’s the safety audit?” A third comment summed it up bluntly: “One, it looks horrible. Two, it will make the traffic situation horrible. Three, it will make human life horrible.”
Responding to the backlash, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority clarified that the narrowing was not a flaw but a result of site constraints and long-term planning. “The flyover does not ‘suddenly narrow’. The transition from 4 lanes to 2 lanes is not a design flaw, but is based on available road width constraints, and future network planning…,” the authority stated, adding that provisions have been made for future widening. According to MMRDA, the outer lanes will eventually be extended by an additional 1+1 lane to strengthen east–west connectivity.
“The flyover has been designed with two lanes for Bhayandar East and future connecting two lanes for Bhayandar West…,” the agency said, noting that safety features such as rumble strips, signage, delineators, and crash barriers have been incorporated.
The controversy has reignited broader concerns over Mumbai’s recent infrastructure projects, recalling past issues such as the Gokhale Bridge misalignment. As scrutiny grows, the Mira–Bhayandar flyover has become another test of whether execution can match intent in the city’s complex urban landscape.
