Of two new Mahalaxmi ROBs planned, only one underway

Hindustan Times

9 hours ago

Mumbai: Over a decade ago, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) began planning for two alternate bridges to replace the century-old Mahalaxmi station bridge; all these years later, work on only one is underway. The deadline is October 2026, but an extension is on the cards. Mumbai, India. June 24, 2025: View of under-construction Mahalaxmi Cable bridge. Mumbai, India. June 24, 2025. (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo) (RAju Shinde)
Like many other British-era bridges in Mumbai, a structural analysis by IIT Bombay in 2016 called for reducing the load on the Mahalaxmi railway over-bridge (ROB), which goes over the station tracks. The current structure is T-shaped, connecting both Worli and Haji Ali from around the Mahalaxmi Race Course to Saat Rasta.
In response, the BMC planned two bridges on either side of the old bridge, both leading to Saat Rasta, also called Jacob's Circle. One, at its south, would lead from Keshavrao Khadye Marg (KK Marg), and the other from Dr E Moses Road. Together, they would divert and distribute traffic from the congested junction onto the two arms.
After some delays, work orders for both ROBs were passed in 2020, but the work took time to begin as encroachments had to be removed. Yet, when the BMC's budget in February this year listed progress on the bridge as 35%, it was referring only to one of the bridges—the one from KK Marg to Saat Rasta. Work on the second ROB is yet to begin.
'Both bridges are needed,' said Abhijit Bangar, additional municipal commissioner (projects). 'But with the second bridge, there are quite a few buildings and structures coming in its way. The cost of shifting and rehabilitating everything in the way is coming up to be approximately ₹ 200 crore, which is more than the cost of the bridge. Hence, the BMC is yet to take a call on it. It hasn't been scrapped, but we have yet to take a call on whether we will go ahead with the rehabilitation or think of another way to do the bridge.'
The bridge from KK Marg to Saat Rasta, a cable-stayed bridge due to the limited road space to accommodate the pillars, has a deadline of October 2026. Meanwhile, in 2022, it was decided that the bridge would be extended until the S bridge in Byculla.
There is little argument among commuters that an alternative to the Mahalaxmi station bridge is needed. 'The junction, without a doubt, sees a tremendous amount of traffic,' said Lalit Jogani, a frequent user of the bridge. 'But part of the reason for that is that there are bus stops and taxi stands too close to the junction at the station. Share cabs are piled up at the junction, sometimes double-parking and taking ad-hoc U-turns. If these stands were shifted slightly away, it would help decongest it,' he added.
When asked about the alternate bridges, Jogani said, 'The KK Marg bridge will help reduce traffic, but a lot of vehicles also travel from Worli near Famous Studio, for which the other bridge from E Moses Road would be necessary. Till that comes, those vehicles will continue to use the old bridge.'
Architect Alan Abraham of Abraham John Architects also agreed on the need for alternatives, but suggested a different, more pedestrian-friendly, plan. 'It is us who initially came up with the idea of the two alternatives to the old Mahalaxmi station bridge, envisioned as underpasses, around a decade ago,' he said, with his plan detailed in a video from 2016. 'After several consultations with the BMC, they have retained the routes of what we planned, but changed them to road-over-bridges, which is the worse option.'
Abraham explained that for a bridge going over the railway tracks, a long ramp will be required on either side, which will take up valuable road space, as well as having to axe around 250 trees in the process. 'An underpass is the better option, as it would not require land acquisition, would be far cheaper than the cable-stayed option the BMC is going ahead with, would not compromise the road, and would not add to the concrete clutter above ground. The BMC still has the option to go ahead with an underpass for the yet-to-begin bridge from E Moses Road to Saat Rasta,' he said.
But Abraham's plan did not end with the underpasses. Recognising the heavy pedestrian load on the Mahalaxmi bridge, he had proposed a complete pedestrianisation of the T-junction as it stands currently, extending from the Mahalaxmi Race Course. 'Our plan imagined turning the old bridge into a public pedestrianised deck, adding to the continuous green spaces in the city by at least 1.7 acres at Saat Rasta,' he said. 'It also takes into account the several pedestrian nodes around the area, which have been planned poorly, but this would make the walk to the interchanges to the monorail and metro stations far better.'
After the new bridges are constructed, a decision will then be made on what will be done with the old bridge. While an official from the BMC's bridge department said it would be re-girdered, Bangar said its fate would have to be decided by the BMC and Railways jointly.