BMC proposes Rs 18.25 crore road safety works at 48 accident-prone spots in Mumbai

The Mumbai municipal corporation has proposed spending Rs 18.25 crore on improving road safety at 48 locations in the city where accidents occur repeatedly. The locations have been identified by the Mumbai Traffic Police. The project aims to reduce accidents through engineering measures and improve traffic management.

The contractor Pragati Enterprises has been recommended for the work. The company quoted a rate 36 per cent below the civic body's estimated cost, making its the lowest tender. The proposal needs the approval of the Standing Committee and the respective improvement committees. It is due to be discussed on Wednesday.

Under the project, several works will be carried out to improve visibility on roads, regulate traffic and reduce the risk of accidents. These include installing dividers and median barriers, thermoplastic road marking, putting up signboards giving traffic instructions and directions, installing pavement markers on both sides of the road, and building traffic islands at select junctions. Once the measures are in place, their impact will be assessed and, if needed, the civic body will also consider further short-term and long-term improvements.

The civic body had prepared an initial estimate of Rs 22.17 crore, excluding GST, based on the USOR-2023 rate list. Five contractors took part in the tender process, and their financial bids were opened on July 10, 2026. Pragati Enterprises quoted the lowest at Rs 14.19 crore. C. R. Shah quoted Rs 14.79 crore, A. S. K. Construction Company Rs 15.08 crore, Kamla Construction Company Rs 17.18 crore and Shreeji Infraspace Private Limited Rs 20.39 crore.

According to the civic body's roads and traffic department, Pragati Enterprises has submitted the required rate analysis, and the rates offered by the company are correct and reasonable. With GST and the prescribed additional provisions, the proposed contract value comes to about Rs 18.25 crore. Including additional charges, the total estimated cost of the project is about Rs 22.08 crore.

The 48 locations were chosen on the basis of a list received from the office of the Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic). The administration says accidents occur repeatedly at these spots, so improvements are necessary from the road safety point of view. The civic body said Mumbai's road network spreads over about 475 square km and is about 2,000 km long. The rising number of registered vehicles and limited road infrastructure are increasing the risk of traffic jams and accidents. There are traffic-related challenges on main roads, crowded junctions, the entry and exit ramps of flyovers, the Coastal Road, and the entry and exit points of east-west connecting routes.

District road safety committees also identify and review accident-prone spots. Under the Supreme Court's directions, separate meetings are held every six months for the Mumbai city and suburban districts, chaired by the respective Collector.

The contract period will be 18 months, excluding the monsoon. A defect liability period of 12 months has been fixed for road marking and six months for painting of kerbstones and dividers. The permitted limit for rate escalation in the contract is five per cent. The expenditure will come from the capital works budget of the civic body's roads and traffic department, and there is a plan to provide funds in the financial years 2026-27 and 2027-28. The tender is valid until December 14, 2026.

Questions have been raised over the rates and quality of the work because the bid is 36 per cent below the civic body's estimate. Congress corporator Ashraf Azmi has asked whether the civic body's original estimate was inflated, or whether the low rate could affect the quality of the work.

Under the tender conditions, Pragati Enterprises must deposit an additional security deposit of about Rs 5.32 crore within 15 working days of being awarded the work. The way to implement the project will open only after the Standing Committee and the respective improvement committees give their approval.