Elphinstone Bridge Closure Postponed Again Amid Pending Approval

15 Sep 2025 CW Team

The closure of the Elphinstone road overbridge for vehicular traffic, which was earlier scheduled for Wednesday, has been postponed once again.

The traffic police are still waiting for approval from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to close the British-era bridge for demolition.

The closure date was tentatively set for 10 September, according to Anil Kumbhare, joint commissioner of police (traffic). However, the MMRDA has not yet informed the traffic police to proceed with the closure, he added.

Constructed over a century ago, the bridge is set to be replaced by a double-decker structure that will form part of the Sewri-Worli elevated connector.

HT had first reported on 31 January that the bridge, a crucial east-west link in central Mumbai, was expected to be demolished by the end of February 2025. However, demolition has been repeatedly delayed due to board exams and objections from residents of nearby buildings, who demanded a fair rehabilitation scheme. In August, the Maharashtra government announced a cluster redevelopment plan for 19 buildings that would be affected by the demolition.

The Elphinstone bridge connects the busy central Mumbai neighbourhoods of Prabhadevi and Parel. It passes over two railway stations—Prabhadevi and Parel—on separate railway lines, used by 500,000 to 700,000 commuters daily.

The bridge is surrounded by several buildings, some decades old and others hosting some of Mumbai’s most upscale offices. Nearby are residential areas, schools, and major hospitals such as Tata Memorial Hospital and KEM Hospital, which serve tens of thousands of people every day.

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15 Sep 2025

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