BMC to build 1.6-km double-decker cable-stayed bridge between Nahur and Airoli
The final phase of the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road project will cost about Rs 1,354.52 crore and is targeted for completion by October 2030.
Images are not validated/verified
A major change is coming to the routes linking Mumbai's eastern and western suburbs. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has taken a significant step under the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR) project. In the last phase of the project, a 1.6-km double-decker cable-stayed bridge will be built between Nahur and Airoli.
Travelling from Goregaon to Airoli currently takes one and a half to two hours. Once the new bridge is built, the same journey is expected to take only 20 minutes.
The new double-decker bridge will run directly above, and parallel to, the existing Airoli-Nahur bridge. Under the GMLR project, vehicles coming from the western suburbs through the underground route will be able to join the new bridge directly. This will considerably reduce the pressure on the existing bridge. The bridge will begin near Nahur railway station and merge with the main road near the Airoli toll plaza.
The project is not limited to the main bridge. Four cloverleaf ramps, or circular connecting ramps, have also been designed for the convenience of vehicles coming from the Thane and Vashi sides. These will make it easier for motorists from those areas to enter the underground route towards Goregaon directly. Significant relief is also expected from the traffic jams at the Airoli junction.
About Rs 1,354.52 crore will be spent on the project, and its design has already been approved. The BMC has appointed Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) for technical approval and the feasibility study, and the institute is being paid a fee of Rs 6 crore. According to the administration's plan, the project is targeted for completion by October 2030.
According to information provided by Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijit Bangar, this last phase of the GMLR will give new momentum to Mumbai's east-west connectivity. Its main aim is to break the traffic jams on the existing bridge and make movement in the suburbs easier.
When the project is complete, it will save time and ease the difficulties of lakhs of working people and other citizens who travel daily between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.
