Thu, 22 Oct, 2026, 12:50 pm
Reported by Mid-Day
Chief Minister CM Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday virtually inaugurated three flyovers in Mumbai including railway overbridges near Sion and Vidyavihar stations and a flyover on the GoregaonMulund Link Road as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC looks to improve connectivity and reduce travel time across the citySpeaking at the inauguration Fadnavis said infrastructure development should focus on making life easier for Mumbaikars by reducing congestion saving commuting time and improving connectivity between the citys eastern and western suburbs as well as its northern and southern partsHe directed the BMC to complete ongoing infrastructure projects within their deadlines without compromising on quality He also stressed the need to remove bottlenecks and improve coordination among agencies to ensure that projects progress without delaysThe inauguration took place virtually from the Chief Ministers official residence Varsha in the presence of Deputy CM Sunetra Ajit Pawar and other dignitariesMumbai infrastructure push targets longterm connectivityFadnavis said Mumbais infrastructure planning must account for the citys requirements over the next 25 to 50 years given its importance as Maharashtras financial capital and a major driver of Indias economic growthHe said projects such as the Mumbai Coastal Road concrete roads flyovers and tunnels should be viewed as parts of an integrated transport network rather than as standalone developmentsThe focus he added is on reducing traffic bottlenecks and travel time between different parts of the city while improving road and railway connectivitySion bridge reopened four months earlyMumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde said the three flyovers would help commuters save valuable time otherwise lost in trafficShe said the 112yearold Britishera bridge at Sion had been closed for safety reasons but was reconstructed by Central Railway and BMC engineers and reopened four months ahead of scheduleTawde also stated that the journey between the two sides of Vidyavihar which earlier took around 30 minutes amid congestion could now be completed in about 10 minutesMeanwhile the flyover on the GoregaonMulund Link Road is expected to strengthen connectivity between Mumbais eastern and western suburbs she addedTawde said the BMC was also focusing on potholefree roads pedestrian safety under its Pedestrian First policy and environmental protection through its Green Mumbai initiativeFlyovers expected to cut travel time and fuel useDeputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi said the three projects would make commuting more convenient and help save fuel by reducing travel timeHe pointed to the congestion faced by commuters travelling from Dahisar towards other parts of Mumbai with some journeys taking up to two hours The BMC has undertaken projects involving connecting roads bridges and underground tunnels to address such problems he saidBMC aims to improve commuter safetyBMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide said the three projects would strengthen Mumbais transport network and provide residents with safer and more convenient journeysShe said the civic body was developing roads bridges and other transport infrastructure to meet the needs of the rapidly growing metropolis with a focus on reducing congestion and improving connectivityThe inauguration was attended by state ministers Mangal Prabhat Lodha and Ashish Shelar MPs Anil Desai and Ravindra Waikar MLA Amit Satam and other elected representativesSenior officials including BMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide and Additional Municipal Commissioner Projects Abhijit Bangar were present at Varsha while other civic officials and engineers joined the event virtually
