BMC directs JVPD flyover to Juhu-Versova Link Road be opened by December 31, 2027

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has stepped up work on the JVPD flyover to ease traffic congestion in Mumbai's western suburbs. The bridge is being built from the end of the C. D. Barfiwala flyover in Andheri West to the Juhu-Versova Link Road. Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijit Bangar recently inspected the project and directed that the flyover be opened to traffic by December 31, 2027, ahead of the scheduled deadline.

The JVPD (Juhu-Vile Parle Development Scheme) flyover is 1,750 metres, or 1.75 km, long and 15.10 metres wide. The deadline for completing the project is March 31, 2028. However, so that citizens get relief at the earliest, Bangar directed that work be carried out at speed with the aim of opening the bridge by December 31, 2027.

The work faces some major challenges. Various utilities will have to be shifted during construction, and coordination with the ongoing Metro project is needed. These include relocating water mains of 600 mm and 900 mm diameter over about 400 metres, shifting a 1,200 mm diameter sewer line using microtunnelling technology, and relocating and re-laying a 300 mm diameter sewer line. The flyover will also have to be built in coordination with work on Metro Line 2B.

Some engineering works are also difficult. A special technique of sliding girders horizontally will have to be used to install them under a Metro station. A 72-metre-long arch bridge is to be built at the 90 Feet junction. Long spans with the fewest possible piers are to be built in the Juhu Circle area. To plan all this properly, it has been stated that the project should be divided into three phases. A separate team should be appointed for each phase and the works completed in parallel, so that work progresses quickly and the target is met on time.

Bangar said the main purpose of the flyover is to ease road connectivity in the western suburbs and reduce the pressure of vehicles at major junctions. The bridge will also be important for vehicles heading towards the proposed Versova-Bandra Sea Link and the Mumbai Coastal Road (North).

The bridge will allow vehicles to avoid five major traffic junctions in the area. At present, travel on this route takes about 45 minutes during peak hours. After the bridge is completed, this is expected to come down to about 20 minutes. Road traffic in Juhu, Vile Parle West, Andheri West and Versova will get major relief as a result, and it will help make the western suburbs' traffic system more efficient.