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The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has reissued a tender for a 5.6 km elevated road connecting Mumbai's Eastern Freeway to Grant Road, aiming to reduce the travel time from 30-50 minutes to just seven minutes. The initial tender was cancelled due to technical issues concerning alignment raised by Central Railway and Mumbai Port Trust. A subsequent redesign increased the project cost from INR 700 crore to INR 1,100 crore. The new design incorporates a steel structure and a cable-stayed bridge and is expected to be completed in three-and-a-half years.
After extending the tender date for seven months, the civic body received a response from bidders in August 2023. Earlier, authorities were only considering construction of a normal flyover that would pass above the existing Hancock bridge. However, the tendering process was immediately cancelled after technical issues were raised.
Considering that the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is building an underground twin tunnel connecting Orange Gate at Eastern Freeway to the coastal road at Marine Drive, several queries were raised by prospective bidders regarding the design and the flyover’s estimated cost. Now, a cable-stayed bridge is considered more feasible for the project. Therefore, a new tender was finalised after considering and incorporating all the design changes in the project.
The proposed elevated road will start from Eastern Freeway's Orange Gate, traversing J Rathod Road (Hancock Bridge), Ramchandra Bhatt Marg (over JJ flyover), Maulana Shaukat Ali Road, and concluding at Frere Bridge East. Another arm will navigate Patthe Bapurao Marg to Diana Talkies Marg (Grant Road). The project will benefit areas such as Grant Road, Nana Chowk, Nepean Sea Road, Pedder Road, Altamount Road, Bhulabhai Desai Road, and Tardeo.
P Velrasu, additional municipal commissioner (projects), said that in the previous project, the provision of removing the utilities was not considered. However, a fresh study has been considered before floating the new tender and all the utility channels will be removed.
The project will be built on mono piles to minimise surface space consumption, and will include an arterial road originating from Orange Gate, approximately 1-kilometre away from P D Mello’s Freeway drop-off.
The proposed flyover will be 5.6-kilometre-long and it will connect the southern end of the Eastern Freeway with Grant Road. This stretch is severely congested since it originates from the southern drop of freeway which becomes a bottleneck due to the heavy influx of vehicles during peak hours.
The Eastern Freeway, operational since 2014, spans 17 kilometres, linking the Eastern Express Highway (EEH) in Chembur to P D Mello Road in south Mumbai, near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus. Despite the challenges, the new project is anticipated to enhance connectivity and alleviate significant traffic congestion.
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