Two cities, two road projects, one problem: Mumbai redesigns Ghatkopar bridge as Delhi struggles with Barapullah

Mumbai and Delhi are asking the same uncomfortable question from either end of two big road projects: did planners consider how people would actually use the roads? After the work on Mumbai’s Ghatkopar road overbridge is almost 30% complete, it is being redesigned. In Delhi, Barapullah Phase-III opened with a promise of a 15-minute journey but within days of opening, it is facing serious congestion. One project is being changed before it’s finished and another is being redone after commuters began using it.

The Ghatkopar redesign is significant as it involves changing a structure that is already under construction. Three pier caps – RP15, RP16 and RP17 – will need partial demolition and rebuilding at a higher level. The original plan had a 2+2-lane cable stayed bridge as the main east-west connection. Instead, the revised plan creates a two-tier setup, separating local traffic between Ghatkopar East and West from longer-distance traffic between the Andheri side and the Eastern Express Highway.