Chedda Nagar junction set to decongest as new flyover arm opens

More than 60,000 vehicles use the Chheda Nagar junction every day and the newly opened stretch will decongest the clogged junction and ease traffic flow in the morning and evening rush hours

Mumbai: After seven years’ wait, motorists crossing the Chheda Nagar junction on the Eastern Express Highway (EEH) got much-awaited relief as the key south-north arm of Chheda Nagar flyover was inaugurated by chief minister Eknath Shinde on the intervening night of Friday-Saturday.

Mumbai, India. Oct 11, 2024: The 680-meter-long Chedda Nahgar flyover, running from south to north, will open tomorrow and improve traffic movement from Amar Mahal to Vikhroli. Mumbai India. Oct 11, 2024. (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo) (Hindustan Times)

More than 60,000 vehicles use the Chheda Nagar junction every day and the newly opened stretch will decongest the clogged junction and ease traffic flow in the morning and evening rush hours.

The opening ceremony was organised by Shiv Sena MLA from Kurla - Mangesh Kudalkar- was scheduled at 7.30pm but CM Shinde arrived as much as five hours late. At the opening ceremony, Shinde also laid the foundation stone of the BKC connector U-Turn bridge. As per details available, BMC will execute the BKC-Sion project providing a vital link to the central business district.

The flyover is part of the broader Chheda Nagar Junction Improvement plan which was launched in 2017 and involved the construction of three flyovers to ease traffic. The project has already seen significant milestones, including the March 2022 opening of an elevated road connecting the existing north-south Chheda Nagar flyover to Amar Mahal flyover. Another flyover, which crosses Chheda Nagar Junction from the Indian Oil Corporation on Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road (GMLR) to the Thane-bound lanes, was opened in April 2023.

For the last couple of weeks, the third flyover was ready and was awaiting opening. This final infrastructure project is 680 metres long and will decongest the traffic flow for motorists headed to Mankhurd and beyond such as Navi Mumbai or Pune. During rush hours, it takes up to half an hour to clear this choke point.

This flyover has been built at an estimated cost of ₹57.6 crore. The entire project was executed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).

The north-south connection of 650 metres was readied for a cost of ₹52.28 crore. The Ghatkopar - Mankhurd Link Road to Eastern Express Highway involved the expenditure of ₹94 crore for 1.2 km bridge.

Later this year, work on Eastern Freeway’s extension right up to Thane is expected to commence thereby creating new choke points for motorists residing in Eastern Suburbs, Thane and farther.

“At present, there is no connectivity towards south Mumbai from the BKC connector. Vehicles from Dadar and Sion have to ply to the Kala Nagar junction through the Dharavi area which creates traffic congestion on both eastern and western express highways. To provide connectivity towards south Mumbai, the U-type flyover will be erected,” said a civic official.