Mumbai’s suburban commute is set for a significant transformation with the opening of the long-awaited Mrinaltai Gore Flyover Extension on May 31. The new infrastructure link is expected to ease congestion across Oshiwara and Goregaon while strengthening connectivity between some of the city’s key transport corridors.
The 750-metre-long, four-lane flyover will create a direct east-west connection between Ram Mandir and Goregaon, reducing dependence on heavily congested routes such as SV Road and Link Road. More importantly, it forms a crucial component of Mumbai’s future transport network by linking the upcoming Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR) with the proposed Versova-Bhayander Coastal Road.
Officials believe the flyover will dramatically improve travel efficiency across the western suburbs. Motorists travelling between the western and eastern parts of Andheri and Jogeshwari will gain faster access to the Western Express Highway (WEH), with commute times expected to drop to under five minutes from the current 30 to 45 minutes during peak traffic hours.
The project has been years in the making. Initially conceptualised in 2016, tenders were floated in 2018, and construction commenced in 2019. However, multiple challenges delayed completion.
“The work orders were issued in 2018, and the work could only begin by 2019. The flyover would pass above four key traffic junctions. Therefore, the construction work could only be carried out at night due to daytime traffic congestion. This left us with a limited timeline,” BMC said in a statement to The Indian Express.
The civic body also cited pandemic-related labour shortages and design modifications. “Also, the flyover passes close to crematoriums and burial grounds. Therefore, the local representatives maintained that the previous project alignment would hinder access to these locations. For which we had to change the design and create an additional underpass to provide accessibility, leading to cost escalation,” read BMC’s statement.
Built at a cost of Rs 247.97 crore, the flyover is expected to become a key link in Mumbai’s evolving mobility network.
“In the future, this bridge will be linked with the upcoming Coastal Road and Goregaon Mulund Link Road, thus forming a circular network of parallel road networks. Therefore, this bridge is going to change the way Mumbai commutes,” Abhijit Bangar, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) said.
Source: The Indian Express
