4 days ago
Mumbai's East–West road link realised after 2 decades with SCLR extension
Nearly 22 years after the idea was first proposed and almost Rs 1,000 crore spent, Mumbai's urban planners are finally seeing the realisation of a long-standing vision of a partly elevated road that connects the city's two lifelines, the Eastern Express Highway (EEH) and the Western Express Highway (WEH).
On Thursday, the last leg of the Santa Cruz Chembur Link Road (SCLR) project, featuring Asia's first curved cable-stayed bridge, was inaugurated, promising seamless, signal-free connectivity between the two Express Highways. However, with an expense of around ₹1,000 crore and years of delays, experts warn that instead of solving Mumbai's traffic woes, the extension may move the problem further down the road.
The evolution of the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR)
In the 1990s, when Mumbai's transport infrastructure was almost entirely north-south oriented, city planners envisioned a series of east-west link roads to break this rigid travel pattern. Among them was the SCLR, aimed at easing connectivity between the city's two arterial roads, EEH and the WEH.
Before SCLR and other link roads, commuters travelling to and from western suburbs to eastern suburbs or Navi Mumbai had to rely on longer, congested routes such as Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road, Andheri-Kurla Road, or take a detour from Sion with journeys that could take up to 90 minutes to two hours during peak hours.
To address this, a 6.5 km SCLR was commissioned in 2003 under the World Bank-funded Mumbai Urban Transport Project, with a budget of Rs 115 crore and a projected completion date of November 2004.
However, work was severely delayed due to issues with the rehabilitation of project-affected residents, particularly occupants of 13 Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) buildings. Besides, constructing the road over busy railway lines proved to be a major logistical hurdle.
A 560-metre flyover over LBS Marg was opened to the public on August 10, 2012, nine years after the project was initiated. The entire stretch finally became operational in April 2014, with the cost having quadrupled to Rs 450 crore.
In its complete form, SCLR connects Dr Hans Bhugra Junction in Santacruz East to Amar Mahal Junction near the EEH, skirting Mumbai University's Vidyanagari Campus, crossing Mithi River, LBS Marg, and passing near Lokmanya Tilak Terminus.
Why was the SCLR extension needed?
While the original SCLR was built to provide East-West connectivity, it fell short of directly reaching the WEH, ending instead near Hans Bhugra Marg, far from efficient traffic dispersal points. The rise of Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) as a commercial hub worsened the traffic situation, leading to severe gridlocks near Vakola Junction and Hans Bhugra Marg.
To address this, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) launched the SCLR Extension project in 2016: as a 5.4 km elevated corridor from Kapadia Nagar near CST Road (Kurla) with a landing directly on the Western Express Highway close to Panbai International School, at an initial estimated cost of Rs 450 crore.
The project, originally expected to be completed in three years, also faced delays. In February 2023, a 3 km two-lane bridge was opened. However, the most complex component extending to 1.66 km was inaugurated on Thursday. It includes the final 215-metre-long cable-stayed bridge. This unique bridge rises 25 metres above the WEH and features a 100-metre sharp curvature, making it Asia's first of its kind. It bypasses the congested Vakola Junction, allowing vehicles to reach the WEH directly, offering a signal-free ride between EEH and WEH. The cost spiralled to Rs 650 crore.
Will it bring relief to commuters?
The inauguration of the final phase is expected to provide major relief to commuters, especially during peak hours. However, experts are cautious about celebrating too soon.
The previous experience with SCLR shows that each new link often shifts the bottleneck rather than resolving it. Transport expert Ashok Datar voiced skepticism about long-term benefits. 'There is a saying that instead of trying to cover the world with leather, one should wear leather shoes. SCLR's extension is an attempt to cover the world in leather. All that is being done is that a congestion point is being pushed further ahead of the road. How many extensions will you do while ignoring easier and cheaper solutions like having dedicated bus corridors on Mumbai's roads? That is a far cheaper option than building such roads,' Datar said.
