The completion timeline for the Ghatkopar railway overbridge (ROB) in Mumbai has been extended by nearly two years, shifting from the original 2025 deadline to June 2027. The bridge, which serves as a crucial connection between Ghatkopar East and West, is undergoing a full reconstruction aimed at alleviating traffic congestion in the eastern suburbs of the city.

Originally built during the British era, the 78-year-old bridge gained priority after the collapse of the Gokhale Bridge, which led to structural audits across Mumbai. The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) identified the Ghatkopar ROB as being overloaded and in urgent need of renovation. Consequently, the Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (MRIDC), funded by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), was tasked with the rebuilding project.

The new design proposes a cable-stayed bridge over the railway tracks along with a bowstring steel span over Lal Bahadur Shastri (LBS) Road. This design aims to remove the need for support pillars beneath heavily trafficked roads, thus preventing additional congestion. Moreover, the structure will intersect two metro corridors and the forthcoming bullet train line, positioning it as a key transport hub.

Although work orders were issued in 2022, the project has encountered several delays. Currently, only maintenance work is keeping the aging bridge functional, with heavy vehicles prohibited from crossing it. As a consequence, BEST buses and commercial vehicles have had to take longer alternate routes, which has adversely affected connectivity to places such as Sakinaka and the international airport.

A local resident, Ajay Bagal, pointed out that the biggest obstacle has been encroachments along the approach roads, particularly on the west side, where shops and a recently constructed Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) building have blocked the alignment. While the MRIDC is responsible for the bridge’s construction, it has stated that clearing these encroachments falls under the jurisdiction of the BMC.

It is expected that the right-hand lanes of the new bridge will be completed within a year, after which the old bridge will be dismantled and traffic diverted. Until then, alternative east-west routes at Vidyavihar and Vikhroli will provide partial relief, although Bagal emphasized that the Ghatkopar ROB remains essential to reducing pressure on one of the city’s most congested corridors.

News source: Urban Acres