Mumbai’s Sion railway overbridge, the Vidyavihar railway crossing and a flyover on the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road were inaugurated on Thursday in a transport infrastructure push aimed at reducing congestion and travel time across the city.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis virtually inaugurated the three projects from his official residence, Varsha, in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Ajit Pawar, civic officials, ministers and elected representatives. The projects connect important routes across Mumbai’s eastern and western suburbs and are intended to improve road and railway connectivity.
Fadnavis said infrastructure development should focus on making daily travel easier for Mumbaikars by reducing congestion, saving commuting time and removing bottlenecks. He directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to complete ongoing infrastructure projects within their deadlines without compromising construction quality.
The chief minister also said Mumbai’s infrastructure planning should account for the city’s requirements over the next 25 to 50 years. He described projects including the Coastal Road, concrete roads, flyovers and tunnels as components of an integrated transport network rather than isolated developments.
The Sion bridge, described by Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde as a 112-year-old British-era bridge, had been closed on safety grounds. It was reconstructed by Central Railway and BMC engineers and reopened four months ahead of schedule, according to the mayor.
Tawde said the new infrastructure would reduce delays for commuters. She said travel between the two sides of Vidyavihar, which earlier took about 30 minutes amid congestion, could now be completed in around 10 minutes. She also said the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road flyover would strengthen connectivity between Mumbai’s eastern and western suburbs.
The projects are part of a wider effort by the civic body to address bottlenecks through roads, bridges and underground tunnels. Deputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi said shorter journeys would make commuting more convenient and help reduce fuel consumption. He referred to congestion affecting commuters travelling from Dahisar towards other parts of Mumbai, with some trips taking up to two hours.
BMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide said the three projects would strengthen Mumbai’s transport network and provide residents with safer and more convenient journeys. She said the civic body was developing roads, bridges and other transport infrastructure to meet the needs of the rapidly growing metropolis, with a focus on reducing congestion and improving connectivity.
Tawde said the BMC was also focusing on pothole-free roads, pedestrian safety under its Pedestrian First policy and environmental protection through its Green Mumbai initiative. The inauguration was attended by state ministers Mangal Prabhat Lodha and Ashish Shelar, MPs Anil Desai and Ravindra Waikar, MLA Amit Satam and senior civic officials, including Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijit Bangar.
