British-era Elphinstone Bridge in Mumbai to be closed for traffic to facilitate reconstruction

Mumbai, Sep 12 (PTI) A more than century-old Road Over Bridge (ROB), one of the crucial east-west links in Mumbai, will be closed for vehicular traffic from Friday midnight ahead of its demolition and reconstruction, officials said on Friday.

The British-era Elphinstone ROB has been serving as a key connecting link between Parel and Prabhadevi areas in central Mumbai.

According to the officials, the Mumbai Traffic Police issued a notification about the closure of the elevated structure on Thursday and traffic management plan till the time new Elphinstone Bridge and Worli-Sewri connector open for vehicles.

The more than 100-year-old bridge will be reconstructed as a part of the Sewri-Worli Elevated Connector project of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).

The Traffic Police had earlier planned to close the bridge from April 25, but did not go ahead with its decision after assessment that it would cause traffic congestion and disruptions, especially in Dadar, Lower Parel, Curry Road and Bharatmata areas. They devised a traffic management plan post-closure to minimise inconvenience to motorists and then decided to go ahead with the structure's demolition.

The existing Elphinstone ROB is 13 metres wide and accommodates only 1.5 lanes of traffic in each direction. The dismantling of the ROB will make way for a modern double-decker structure that is expected to significantly improve the east-west connectivity in the metropolis.

The first level of the new double-decker bridge will feature a 2+2 lane carriageway for traffic between Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Road and Senapati Bapat Road, while the second level will accommodate a 2+2 lane carriageway for traffic heading from the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (Atal Setu) to the Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL).

The Sewri-Worli Elevated Connector will be 4.5-km long, and have four-lane (2+2) carriageways. It will link MTHL with BWSL, which is a key connection between the city's northern and southern coastal roads on the west coast. PTI KK RSY