Elphinstone Bridge closure postponed again

The traffic police are still waiting for a green light from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to close the British-era bridge for demolition.

MUMBAI: The closure of the Elphinstone road overbridge for vehicular traffic, which was earlier slated for Wednesday, has been postponed yet again.

Mumbai, India. Apr 09, 2025: The Elphinstone Bridge in the Prabhadevi area of Mumbai will be closed for two years starting April 10, 2025. Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) will demolish the bridge and construct the new Elphinstone Bridge and the Seree-Worli. Connector. Mumbai, India. Apr 09, 2025. (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo) (Hindustan Times)

The traffic police are still waiting for a green light from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to close the British-era bridge for demolition.

The date of closure was tentatively set for September 10, according to Anil Kumbhare, joint commissioner of police traffic. However, the MMRDA has not yet intimated the traffic police to go ahead with the closure, he added.

The bridge, constructed over a century ago, is supposed to be replaced by a double-decker bridge that will be a part of the Sewri-Worli elevated connector.

HT had first reported on January 31 that the bridge, a crucial east-west connector in central Mumbai, was expected to be demolished by the end of February 2025. However, the demolition has been repeatedly postponed due to board exams and objections from residents of nearby buildings who demanded a fair rehabilitation scheme. In August, the Maharashtra government announced a cluster redevelopment plan for 19 buildings that would be affected by the bridge’s demolition.

The Elphinstone bridge connects the bustling central Mumbai areas of Prabhadevi and Parel. It passes over two railway stations, Prabhadevi and Parel, on two different railway lines, used by 500,000-700,000 commuters daily.

The bridge is surrounded by several buildings, some decades old and others housing some of Mumbai’s swankiest offices. Not far from the bridge are residential areas and schools, as well as prominent hospitals like the Tata Memorial Hospital and KEM Hospital, which are frequented by tens of thousands of people daily.