Mumbai is reeling from widespread traffic disruptions, delays and commuter frustration after the Elphinstone Road over-bridge closure. The bridge was shut late Friday to make way for its demolition and replacement by a double-decker bridge as part of the Sewri-Worli elevated connector project.
The Elphinstone bridge links Parel and Prabhadevi, an essential east-west route used by an estimated 500,000 to 700,000 commuters daily. Now with the bridge gone, traffic bottlenecks have sprung up across central Mumbai. A ride that used to take 15 minutes between Sion and Dadar has stretched over an hour. A journey from Navi Mumbai to Parel, which was previously about 45 minutes, is now taking close to two hours.
Traffic police report serious choke points at Tilak Bridge, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Road, Currey Road, Chinchpokli, and Gokhale Road have been severely affected. At 10.30 in the morning, jams were already pervasive. Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Anil Kumbhare said authorities have assigned 100 traffic wardens across three shifts, 50 extra police personnel, and 25 jawans from the Maharashtra Security Force to try to manage the diversions.
11 Diverted Bus Routes
Mumbai faced heavy traffic disruption after the Elphinstone Road bridge was closed late Friday for demolition, paving the way for a new double-deck structure under the Sewri-Worli Elevated Connector project. The shutdown has led to 11 BEST and MSRTC bus routes being either curtailed or diverted.
Among the most impacted are routes A-162, A-168, A-177, and 201, which now either bypass the usual bridge route or terminate much earlier than before, forcing commuters to take lengthier detours.
Buses that previously crossed Currey Road Bridge, including routes 14, 57, 44, 52, 50, 162, and 168, are now rerouted through Chinchpokli Bridge. However, commuters complain of poor communication, with little clarity at bus stops and confusion about revised schedules and halts.
Traffic police have acknowledged the bottlenecks around Currey Road and confirmed that the diversions are being monitored. Officials said the route changes are temporary and will be reviewed in the coming days.
Because of the increased distance of about 0.2 km for ordinary buses and up to 0.9 km for return legs in premium routes, the fare structure under MSRTC’s slab system will see a slight increase.
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