Under-construction Mith Chowky flyover unlikely to ease traffic woes

MUMBAI: The under-construction Mith Chowky flyover at Malad has been a significant source of traffic congestion for motorists. Work on the bridge began in April 2022, and is expected to be completed by the end of this year. It has already overshot its targeted deadline of 18 months.
However, it remains uncertain whether the flyover will effectively alleviate traffic woes.The design includes a one-way stretch from Marve to Orlem and another arm extending from Marve towards Link Road.
Additionally, with a metro line running above, the bridge will only accommodate light motor vehicles. During a visit by TOI on Friday, the girder launching for the Link Road connector of the bridge was still pending. The cost of this flyover has been pegged at approximately Rs 45 crore.

Traffic woes continue to hit motorists

A BMC official said that the girder launching has to be done very carefully, especially as there is always heavy moving traffic along the stretch and there is a live metro railway above. “We will therefore have to carry out girder launching only at night. We are hoping to complete works on the bridge towards Orlem by September-end. Works on the arm going towards Link Road would go on till the end of theyear as girder launching for it is yet to be completed,” said the official.
Meanwhile, locals are sceptical about how this will improve the traffic situation in the area. A local resident told TOI, “Instead of making the bridge, the authorities could have widened the road at the junction. The traffic congestion that we are facing in Mith Chowky is due to heavy vehicles, like buses and trucks too, but in this case, the bridge will not cater to heavy vehicles itself.”
Some locals also said that with a metro line moving just above the bridge, the latter has already been lowered, and therefore the authorities will have to take additional precautions to ensure that the heavy vehicles going below from the road have enough space to navigate in the area.