The Indian Express ·
Mankhurd T Junction: Flyover pillar work may worsen Navi Mumbai-bound traffic after Ganpati
Traffic police yet to clear construction plan; carriageway already narrowed at junction, with officials considering diversions
Traffic movement at the Mankhurd T Junction, already a bottleneck for motorists travelling from the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road towards Navi Mumbai, could face further disruption after the Ganpati festivities, with the BMC set to begin work on a crucial pillar of its under-construction flyover at the junction.
The traffic police are yet to clear the proposed construction plan, with officials concerned that the pillar could further reduce the available carriageway and lead to longer queues on the Sion-Panvel Highway.
Traffic heading from the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road towards Navi Mumbai already slows and merges onto the Sion-Panvel Highway. On the opposite side of the junction, construction work has narrowed the carriageway for vehicles travelling from Navi Mumbai towards the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road, slowing traffic towards the junction, especially during peak hours.
With another section of the flyover now set to be taken up at the T Junction, traffic police officials are discussing an alternative traffic arrangement with the BMC.
“We are talking with the BMC and are finding an alternate route as Mankhurd T Junction is a bottleneck. We expect that construction of the pillar will begin after the festivities and are working out effective ways to manage the traffic,” a Traffic Police official said.
For commuters, the concern is that the construction could add to delays at a junction where waiting times are already substantial.
“We are already waiting at the T Junction for quite some time — 30 minutes. If the pillar comes up at the same spot, it could add another traffic gridlock,” said advocate Shaikh Faiyaz Alam, a daily commuter.
The pillar is part of the Rs 1,958-crore flyover project to ease traffic movement between the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road and Navi Mumbai-Pune. The project comprises two vehicular arms of 1.47 km and 1.93 km – one to provide direct access to Navi Mumbai and Pune for vehicles travelling from the Ghatkopar side, and the other to connect traffic from Navi Mumbai to the existing Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road flyover.
Once completed, the flyover is expected to allow vehicles to bypass the existing T-junction signal. The BMC has set August 2027 as the completion deadline.
The construction has already caused traffic disruptions on the Sion-Panvel Highway. On April 29, a piling rig being used for the flyover work overturned near Maharashtra Nagar, killing Mumbai Police constable Santosh Gopal Chavan and causing major congestion on the highway.