Mumbai Faces Traffic Chaos as Ghatkopar Bridge Deadline Extended to June 2027
Mumbai’s eastern suburbs are bracing for a prolonged period of congestion as the long-promised upgrade of the Ghatkopar rail over bridge (ROB) faces a major deadline extension.
Once scheduled to be completed by the end of 2025, the bridge is now expected to be operational only by June 2027, adding two more years of delay to an already strained transit corridor that links the city’s western and eastern arterial routes. The 78-year-old British-era bridge, a critical connector between the Eastern Express Highway (EEH) and Lal Bahadur Shastri Road via the Andheri-Ghatkopar Link Road, was declared structurally stressed after a citywide audit initiated in the aftermath of the Gokhale Bridge collapse in 2018. Since then, its redevelopment has remained a top civic priority, especially given the exponential growth in traffic volumes across Mumbai. However, the pace of execution by Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (MRIDC), despite funding support from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), has drawn sharp criticism from commuters and transport advocates alike.
The new design includes a cable-stayed structure above railway tracks and a bowstring steel span over LBS Road, both tailored to reduce the need for ground-level support pillars and avoid further congestion. Additionally, the bridge must be integrated with two metro lines and the upcoming bullet train corridor, making the engineering task complex and demanding. Yet, even with these logistical challenges, the primary bottleneck remains unresolved encroachments along the approach roads particularly on the western end, where informal shops and a recently built rehabilitation housing project have stalled progress. In the interim, the city has allowed limited operations on the old 2+2 lane bridge, albeit with restrictions on heavy vehicles. This has disrupted public and freight transport routes, with buses and commercial vehicles forced to detour via Amar Mahal and Sakinaka, increasing commute times and fuel consumption an unsustainable model in both ecological and economic terms. Residents and civic activists, long vocal about the need for a modern crossing, argue that the delays are eroding public confidence in Mumbai’s infrastructure planning and undermining efforts toward efficient, low-carbon urban mobility.
As right-hand lanes of the new bridge inch toward completion by mid-2026, a temporary traffic diversion is planned to allow demolition of the older structure and start work on the left-hand lanes. But concerns persist over whether the BMC and MRIDC can coordinate efficiently to resolve land acquisition and encroachment issues on time. Parallel projects at Vidyavihar and Vikhroli are expected to offer some relief, but their impact may be limited unless the Ghatkopar ROB situated on a direct route to the international airport is fully operational. Mumbai’s transport ecosystem, already under pressure from growing urban density and inadequate modal integration, stands at a critical juncture. Infrastructure projects like the Ghatkopar bridge are not merely concrete connections they are lifelines for millions. Further delay without accountability risks not only traffic paralysis but also a widening gap in sustainable urban planning.
