Mumbai's Ghatkopar bridge redesigned after 30% work done, 3 pier caps to be razed

Mumbai's under-construction Ghatkopar road overbridge is being redesigned after around 30 per cent of the work was completed, with three pier caps set to be partially demolished to accommodate a revised two-tier bridge plan. The under-construction bridge is meant to connect Ghatkopar East, towards the Eastern Express Highway, with Ghatkopar West and LBS Marg on the Andheri side.The Ghatkopar bridge redesign comes days after Delhi's Barapullah Phase III opened and soon faced heavy congestion at the point where the new flyover merges with the existing Barapullah corridor near Sundial Park. The Delhi Traffic Police has sought changes to the merger design to ease traffic movement.In Ghatkopar, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (MRIDC) have now revised the bridge plan to separate local east-west traffic from vehicles travelling between Andheri and the Eastern Express Highway. (Photo: India Today) Under the revised plan, a secondary road overbridge will be built at the existing road level between Shreyas (LBS) Junction and Pant Nagar Junction, passing over the Central Railway line. The lower-level bridge will cater primarily to local residents travelling between Ghatkopar East and West. The primary cable-stayed bridge will be raised by a few metres to carry longer-distance traffic between the Eastern Express Highway and Andheri side, particularly during peak hours.Three existing structures – pier caps R, RP16 and RP17 – will be partially demolished and modified to accommodate the revised design. The earlier plan envisaged a 2+2-lane carriageway crossing LBS Junction directly from the road overbridge. The revised proposal will have a 3+3-lane arrangement to account for projected traffic growth. (Photo: India Today) The revised design will also increase the vertical clearance at the affected piers from around four metres to 5.5 metres, allowing heavy vehicles to pass through.According to the Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (MRIDC), the redesign was aimed at ensuring local residents do not have to mix with through traffic or take longer routes simply to travel between Ghatkopar East and West.Under the earlier traffic arrangement, residents on the western side of Ghatkopar would have had to travel towards the approach road at Shreyas Junction, take a U-turn and then head towards Ghatkopar East across the railway bridge.The changes, however, have added to residents' concerns as they continue to face traffic congestion and delays in the area. Parents of school-going children have also raised concerns about navigating the congested roads safely.The MRIDC said the bridge was being planned with an expected lifespan of 80 to 100 years and that the revised design was intended to address future traffic requirements.BOTTLENECKS ON BARAPULLAH PHASE III FLYOVERThe Ghatkopar bridge redesign comes amid concerns over traffic planning on the Barapullah Phase III flyover in Delhi. The 3.5-km, three-lane elevated corridor connecting Mayur Vihar Phase I with Sarai Kale Khan, was inaugurated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on September 29 and opened to commuters the next day. At Sarai Kale Khan, it merges with the existing Barapullah corridor, forming part of a wider signal-free route towards South Delhi and AIIMS.The newly opened flyover has, however, faced congestion at the merger near Sundial Park, where multiple traffic streams converge within a limited road width. The three-lane Phase III flyover merges with another three lanes carrying traffic from the Sundial side towards Sarai Kale Khan and Ring Road. Three more lanes from the Ashram and DND side also join the existing Barapullah corridor.However, the existing flyover narrows to two lanes at the stretch, creating a sharp mismatch between the traffic feeding into the junction and the capacity available ahead, the Delhi Traffic Police said.A drone survey by the traffic police highlighted the scale of the problem. The sharp, almost rectangular alignment at the merger has further complicated traffic movement, prompting the police to seek design changes to improve traffic flow.- Ends