Mumbai: BMC Plans To Build Elevated Road To Link Eastern Freeway And South Mumbai, Improve Access To Mumbai Trans Harbour Link

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) plans to build a new elevated road connecting the Eastern Freeway to Grant Road.

The 16.8 km-Eastern Freeway connects PD Mello Road in south Mumbai to Eastern Express Highway (EEH) in Chembur.

The Freeway, which links Mankhurd to Mumbai's Orange Gate, was built in 2014 and has two arms at Deonar and Bhakti Park. It has increased South Mumbai's connectivity with the eastern suburbs, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan Dombivli, and other regions.

According to the proposed alignment, the Rs 700-crore elevated road would run from the Eastern Freeway (Orange Gate) to Frere Bridge East, passing through J Rathod Road, Hancock Bridge, Ramchandra Bhatt Marg (Over J J Flyover), and Maulana Shaukat Ali Road. 

With the dispersal arm of the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) now merging with the Freeway at Sewri, localities like as Grant Road, Malabar Hill, and Tardeo will have easy access to this link and, by extension, the Navi Mumbai Airport.

The elevated road is expected to minimise traffic congestion and travel time from 30-50 minutes to five to seven minutes between northern areas of South Mumbai and the Eastern Freeway.

The tender process is presently underway, and they want to get started on the project as soon as possible, according to officials.

“While MMRDA is planning a tunnel from the freeway, our elevated road is useful for other south Mumbai residents. I have cleared this on technical and financial aspects. This will now go to the municipal commissioner for final approval,” said  P Velarasu, Additional municipal commissioner of BMC, reports Hindustan Times.
The alignment follows along the current road and traverses a crowded neighbourhood on stilts. It will pass above the road on centrally built single- column piles.

Because the columns are centrally positioned with the pile foundation, existing utility services such as water mains, BEST power supply cables, sewer lines, and underground stormwater drains will need to be diverted in order to clear land for foundation work.

The project will serve a number of places along the route, including Tardeo, Bombay Central, Nana Chowk, Napeansea Road, Pedder Road, Altamount Road, and Bhulabhai Desai Road.