The Versova-Madh bridge project has moved closer to construction after the Bombay High Court cleared the felling of 1,237 mangroves and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation began ground assessment for the proposed cable-stayed connector across Malad Creek.
The 2.06-km bridge will create Mumbai’s first direct road link between Versova and Madh, connecting Madh Jetty Road with the area near Fisheries University Road in Versova, Andheri. The civic project is intended to remove the existing 18-20 km detour through Lokhandwala, Oshiwara, Link Road or Marve Road.
At present, commuters travelling between the two areas can spend up to one-and-a-half hours in peak traffic because of congestion on the alternative routes. The BMC has said the new bridge could reduce the journey to between five and 10 minutes, improving access to Madh, Marve, the Air Force station, INS Hamla and parts of Malad and Kandivali.
The bridge alignment includes a 600-metre cable-stayed section, with 150-metre back spans on either side. A civic official told The Indian Express that the cable-stayed design was selected to reduce environmental impact and limit piling across the creek. The official described the project as important for easing traffic in Mumbai’s western suburbs.
The project is also intended to connect with the wider coastal road network. According to the project details reported by The Indian Express, the Versova-Madh bridge is expected to provide access to the Mumbai Coastal Road Project, while an arm is planned to connect towards the Dahisar-Bhayandar coastal road. The link therefore forms part of a broader effort to improve east-west and north-south movement along Mumbai’s western edge.
The proposal has a long planning history. It was first envisaged in Mumbai’s 1967 Development Plan, while the project blueprint was finalised in 2020. Tenders were floated in March 2023, followed by in-principle approval from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The Bombay High Court’s clearance for mangrove felling has now removed a major legal step before construction can begin.
The environmental decision remains central to the project because the bridge will cross a creek ecosystem containing mangroves. The BMC’s stated design approach is to reduce piling, but the supplied project information does not specify the total project cost, the number of construction packages, the compensatory plantation plan or the final construction deadline.
The immediate next step is the ground assessment being carried out by the civic administration. Construction is expected to commence soon, although the available project details do not provide a confirmed completion date. The bridge’s eventual impact will depend on how construction progresses, how the approved environmental conditions are implemented and how effectively its connections integrate with Mumbai’s existing coastal road network.
