Mumbai: The BMC has initiated soil testing for a 5.6 km elevated road corridor from the Eastern Freeway (Orange Gate) to Grant Road. Once the design is finalised, construction is expected to ramp up. This new elevated road aims to reduce travel time between South Mumbai and the eastern suburbs to just 6–7 minutes, down from the current 30-50 minutes. The project, with an estimated cost of Rs 1,330 crore, is expected to be completed within three-and-a-half years.
The 17-km Eastern Freeway, which connects the Eastern Express Highway (EEH) in the eastern suburbs to PD Mello Road in South Mumbai, faces congestion due to a lack of an elevated road at its western end. This results in long travel times, with the journey to the western part of South Mumbai taking up to 50 minutes.
To address this issue, the BMC proposed to build a new flyover that will link the western part of South Mumbai directly to the Freeway, potentially easing traffic flow and reducing travel time.
The BMC awarded the contract for the elevated road project to the J Kumar-RSP (JV) in March, months after inviting tenders. Sources from the BMC’s bridge department mention that soil testing, finalising designs, and other preparatory processes are underway, and construction is expected to begin at full speed soon.
The elevated road will start from Orange Gate and pass through J Rathod Road, Hancock bridge, Ramchandra Bhatt Marg (over JJ Flyover), Maulana Shaukat Ali Road, ending at Frere Bridge. The other arm will pass via Patthe Bapurao Marg to Diana Talkies Marg at Grant Road. The project will cater to Grant Road, Nana Chowk, Nepean Sea Road, Pedder Road, Altamount Road, Bhulabhai Desai Road and Tardeo.
The BMC had initially cancelled the tender for the elevated road project in February 2023 due to technical issues raised by the Central Railway (CR) and Mumbai Port Trust (MPT) concerning the alignment. These concerns were primarily related to the underground twin tunnel connecting Orange Gate to the Coastal Road at Marine Drive, a project being handled by MMRDA.
A fresh tender was issued in January this year, incorporating design changes and addressing related works. Since the elevated road will pass through Hancock Bridge, the BMC also had to secure No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from both CR and MPT.
