Ghatkopar Bridge Completion Delayed to June 2027 Amid Encroachment Hurdles
The completion timeline for the Ghatkopar railway overbridge (ROB) in Mumbai has been extended by nearly two years—from its original 2025 deadline to June 2027.
The bridge, a critical link between Ghatkopar East and West, is undergoing a complete reconstruction to ease traffic congestion in the city’s eastern suburbs. Originally constructed during the British era, the 78-year-old structure became a priority after the Gokhale Bridge collapse, prompting structural audits across Mumbai. The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) flagged the Ghatkopar ROB as overloaded and in urgent need of an overhaul. The Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (MRIDC), funded by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), was assigned the task of rebuilding it. The new design features a cable-stayed bridge over the railway tracks and a bowstring steel span over Lal Bahadur Shastri (LBS) Road. This structure will eliminate the need for support pillars under high-traffic roads, preventing further congestion. It will also intersect two metro corridors and the upcoming bullet train line, making it a major transport hub.
Despite work orders being issued in 2022, the project has faced multiple setbacks. Currently, only maintenance work keeps the ageing bridge operational, with heavy vehicles banned. As a result, BEST buses and commercial transport are forced to take longer routes, impacting connectivity to areas like Sakinaka and the international airport. Local resident Ajay Bagal highlighted that the biggest bottleneck is encroachment along approach roads, especially on the west side, where shops and a newly built SRA (Slum Rehabilitation Authority) building are obstructing alignment. While the MRIDC is responsible for construction, it maintains that clearing these encroachments falls under BMC’s jurisdiction.
The right-hand lanes of the new bridge are expected to be completed within a year, after which the old bridge will be dismantled, and traffic diverted. Until then, alternative east-west bridges at Vidyavihar and Vikhroli will offer partial relief, though Bagal stresses the Ghatkopar ROB remains vital to easing pressure in one of the city’s most congested corridors.
