The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has begun ground assessments for the proposed Versova-Madh connector after the Bombay High Court cleared the felling of 1,237 mangroves required for the project. Construction of the cable-stayed bridge is expected to begin soon, with completion targeted for March 31, 2029.

The 2.06-km bridge will provide a direct road connection between Versova and Madh, which are currently separated by Malad Creek. The route will begin at Madh Jetty Road and connect with Fisheries University Road in Versova, Andheri. It is also planned to improve access to the Mumbai Coastal Road Project through a connecting arm towards the Dahisar-Bhayandar coastal road.

At present, commuters travelling between the two areas must take longer routes through Lokhandwala, Oshiwara, Link Road or Marve Road. These roads can become heavily congested during peak periods, extending the journey to up to 1.5 hours and adding 18 to 20 km to the trip. The connector is intended to reduce the travel time to between five and 10 minutes and improve access to Madh, Marve, the Air Force station, INS Hamla, and parts of Malad and Kandivali.

The project will have a total length of 2.06 km, including a 600-metre cable-stayed section. Its design includes a 300-metre main span and two 150-metre back spans. The cable-stayed structure is intended to reduce the number of supporting piers and limit the project’s impact on the surrounding environment. The estimated cost is Rs. 23.95 bn.

The connector has been under consideration for several decades and was first proposed in Mumbai’s 1967 Development Plan. The project blueprint was finalised in 2020, while the BMC floated tenders in March 2023. It later received in-principle approval from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. With the court clearance and ground assessments in progress, the civic body is preparing to advance the project towards construction.