Flyovers at Mankhurd to require diversion of 1.62 hectares of mangroves

MUMBAI: The green cover that greets motorists on the Mankhurd stretch while travelling towards Navi Mumbai could soon give way to the flyover project, with the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) seeking to divert 1

MUMBAI: The green cover that greets motorists on the Mankhurd stretch while travelling towards Navi Mumbai could soon give way to the flyover project, with the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) seeking to divert 1.6202 hectares of forest land with mangroves for the construction of two key flyovers.

Two years after floating a tender for the flyovers over the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road and the Navi Mumbai-bound Sion-Panvel Highway, the civic body has initiated the process of diverting the forest land, including areas falling within the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary and its notified Eco Sensitive Zone (ESZ).

The MCGM has sought approval from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to divert the land to facilitate the shifting of existing electricity transmission lines that currently cross the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road near the junction.

The civic body plans to construct two flyovers adjacent to the existing Mankhurd flyover. The first will be built on the western side of the existing bridge and will carry traffic from the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road towards the Sion-Panvel Highway and Navi Mumbai. The second, planned on the eastern side, will allow vehicles travelling from Navi Mumbai to bypass the traffic signal at the junction and connect to the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road.

The note states that the footprint of the existing transmission lines as well as the corridor proposed for partially shifting the electric pylons falls within “1.1088 hectares, having a length of 889.103 metres and notified Eco Sensitive Zone of 0.4732 hectares, having a length of 526.458 metres”.

Last month, the MCGM submitted an application to the MoEFCC seeking approval to divert forest land inside the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary’s core boundary as well as its notified ESZ boundary.

According to the proposal, a total of 1.6202 hectares of forest land with mangroves needs to be diverted for shifting the transmission lines. The civic body has not disclosed the total number of mangroves that will be impacted. Another 1.0657 hectares of land required for the work falls on non-forest land.

“The Ghatkopar Mankhurd Link Road is an important link for the Eastern Express Highway and connects with the Mumbai Pune Expressway via the Sion Panvel Highway. Heavy traffic is often encountered at the T junction, during peak hours,” said a civic official. “To decongest, we are planning these two flyovers.”

When the MCGM floated the bid in September 2024, the estimated project cost was ₹918 crore. The estimate has since been revised, although the new figure could not be ascertained. Construction costs have continued to rise amid the West Asia conflict.

The project has also faced an alignment issue. While the bidding process was underway, the City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) approached the MCGM, requesting a change in the flyover alignment as it overlaps with the proposed alignment of the 34.89-km Mumbai Metro 8 Gold Line. The Metro 8 corridor is proposed to connect Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport with Navi Mumbai International Airport.