Three key Mumbai bridges at Sion, Vidyavihar and Goregaon set to open in October

The administration has planned to open three key bridges in Mumbai, which have been stalled for a long time, to traffic together in October. They are the British-era railway overbridge at Sion, the flyover at Vidyavihar and the new flyover at Goregaon. The administration says that once all three routes are operational, traffic congestion in the eastern and western suburbs will ease considerably and vehicle speeds will improve.

First, Sion. The 112-year-old railway bridge near Sion station on the Central Railway line has been completely closed to all movement since August 2024 for safety reasons. Technical difficulties forced the deadline for work on the bridge to be extended twice. With the bridge shut, Sion, Dharavi and LBS Marg have seen heavy jams every day. The work is now in its final stage and the administration has set a target of opening the bridge by October 15. This will bring major relief to motorists and residents of the area.

The second is the railway flyover at Vidyavihar, which people in the eastern suburb have awaited for eight years. It is finally nearing completion. Being built at a cost of about Rs 178 crore, the four-lane bridge will make direct movement between Vidyavihar East and West easier once it opens. It is also expected to considerably reduce the extra traffic burden on the Ghatkopar area and the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road.

The third bridge is at Goregaon in the western suburb. The new 1.26-km flyover will directly connect the Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari area. The main construction of the bridge is complete. A load test will be carried out in the second week of October. If the test is successful, the bridge will be opened to traffic at full capacity by October 15.

Senior civic officials have said that this bridge will cut travel time on the route linking the eastern and western suburbs from 75 minutes to just 25 minutes, saving commuters a full 50 minutes. The three key routes are about to open just before the festival season, so Mumbai residents can expect faster and easier travel.