Sion ROB to be closed for vehicular traffic from Friday midnight

The British-era Sion Railway-Over-Bridge (ROB) in Mumbai will be closed from January 19 to May 31, 2024 for demolition work. Traffic police have issued alternate routes for motorists and deployed wardens to ensure smooth traffic flow. The Dr BA Road has been declared a no-parking area to handle high traffic. Breaking the rules will have consequences.

MUMBAI: In order to ensure a smooth flow of traffic due to the demolition work of the British-era Sion Railway-Over-Bridge (ROB), which connects Matunga and Kurla, the traffic police have issued notification for providing alternate routes to motorists. The bridge will be closed from the intervening night of January 19 and 20 and will continue till May 31, 2024.

HT Image

Alternate routes

The traffic police have installed diversion sign boards that indicate ‘where to divert’ near the entry and exit points of the bridge. The three main diversion routes from where motorists can travel instead of Sion RoB to reach their destinations are Santacruz-Chembur Link Road via Kurla, joining the Eastern Express Highway. Sion Hospital Road via the Sulochana Shetty Marg, connecting to Dr BA Road to Kumbharwada, Dharavi to Chunabhatti-Bandra Kurla Complex Connector (no two-wheelers and three-wheelers are allowed on this route). (see box).

Wardens to ensure smooth traffic flow

The Matunga traffic department said that they will deploy 50 wardens who will be available on the ground, along with the traffic personnel to ensure smooth traffic flow. Together, they will keep clearing the traffic to make sure there are no disruptions. They will work together for the first 10 days. After 10 days, the decision to continue with this plan will depend on the traffic flow and whether or not things are manageable.

A maximum of fifty traffic wardens would be deployed by other divisions, which include Mahim, Chunabhatti, BKC, Chembur, Dharavi, etc., within their respective jurisdictional boundaries.

The shutdown of the ROB would result in high traffic on the Dr BA Road, which links Sion to Dharavi. An official said that Dr BA Road is broad enough to handle high traffic, but they don’t want to take the chance, so the entire road has been declared a strictly no-parking area. They have requested cooperation from the residential dwellings and properties along the road, at least during the beginning phases. Due to the relatively narrow roadways further along Sulochana Shetty Marg, which stretch towards Dharavi, it is impossible to accommodate all of the traffic. Along with encroachment, there are other residential buildings and parking spaces that could impede traffic flow. Thus, that area is now off-limits to parking as well. Traffic police cautioned that anyone discovered to be breaking the rules would face consequences.