Mumbai: Next month when Andheri’s C D Barfiwala flyover, linked to Gokhale bridge, reopens after nearly seven years, don’t expect a smooth ride. It’ll be a bottleneck at the west end, thanks to a pit dug up for construction of another flyover—to link JVPD— ahead. So, motorists coming from the east will have to shift to the service road through a single-lane space available between the end of the flyover and the pit to head to Juhu.
Until the JVPD flyover is ready— which is at least three years away—motorists will remember that it’s not the first such problem there. Last year, the Gokhale bridge was ready to reopen after reconstruction — a part of it had collapsed in 2018 killing 2 people — b ut couldn’t be opened as it was not aligned with east-bound arm of Barfiwala flyover, reports Richa Pinto.
C D Barfiwala flyover, which hit headlines last year for being misaligned with the reconstructed Gokhale bridge, is set to be entirely open on May 15, but at its west exit, vehicles will be forced to take a 90-degree left turn to proceed towards Juhu as the road ahead is dug up for JVPD (Juhu-Vile Parle Development) flyover takeoff. The junction is already under pressure as traffic from the road below the flyover converges at the same point.
“Unless this issue is addressed on a war footing, the much-anticipated opening of Phase 2 of Gokhale bridge risks being overshadowed by chaos, as motorists will be forced to detour via S V Road — undermining the very purpose of the expedited, seamless east-west connectivity,” said Dhaval Shah, director of Andheri Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizen’s Association.
When contacted, BMC officials said JVPD flyover was planned in advance and there is space for vehicles to exit from Barfiwala flyover.
On July 3, 2018, the pedestrian section of Gokhale bridge collapsed, killing two people and injuring three others. On Nov 7, 2022, the bridge was closed for vehicular and pedestrian traffic owing to poor structural health. Barfiwala flyover was also shut as it landed directly on the bridge.
The first arm of Gokhale bridge was opened on Feb 26, 2024, but owing to a huge gap with Barfiwala flyover, the latter was still out of bounds for motorists. On April 14, 2024, BMC’s bridges department, under the supervision of experts from IIT-B and VJTI, began the realignment work. On July 4, 2024, BMC completed the partial alignment works and opened the Juhu-Andheri (East) stretch of Barfiwala flyover for light vehicles.
Pointing out that there is already heavy traffic below the bridge, Juhu resident Zoru Bhathena said that after the Gokhale-Barfiwala connector towards the west opens, there will be more congestion.
Terming Barfiwala flyover jinxed, pointing to years of back-and-forth over the project’s execution, Andheri resident Minoo Sukhia said: “The new alignment is expected to worsen traffic congestion rather than ease it.”
Work on the 1.6-km JVPD flyover, which will begin ahead of Barfiwala flyover in Andheri and end near JVPD, began in Oct 2024, and is expected to take three years. “This JVPD bridge will make the commute smooth from Western Express Highway (WEH) to JVPD and thereon to the proposed coastal road-north,” said a BMC official.