Mumbai Bridges to Open, Ease Key Traffic Bottlenecks

Mumbai’s Sion, Vidyavihar and Goregaon-Mulund bridges will be inaugurated on October 22, bringing three major road and rail connectivity projects into operation across the city’s eastern, western and central suburbs. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will inaugurate the bridges virtually at 1 pm, according to a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation statement.

Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar are scheduled to attend the ceremony, while Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde will preside over the event. Live broadcasts will be arranged at all three bridge locations.

The projects are expected to improve east-west movement, reduce travel time for motorists and support the expansion of Mumbai’s suburban railway network. The announcement follows the BMC’s confirmation that the bridges would be jointly inaugurated after civic officials had been waiting for the availability of senior leaders.

The rebuilt Sion railway flyover connects Dharavi, Bandra, the Bandra-Kurla Complex and Kurla on the western side with Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Road and the Eastern Express Highway on the eastern side. The 112-year-old bridge had been declared unsafe and was reconstructed to create space for the proposed fifth and sixth railway lines between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Kurla under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project-II.