As per a TOI report, the problem was highlighted recently when Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari himself was caught in heavy traffic while travelling from Worli to an event in Mumbai. His journey was delayed by around an hour, prompting him to speak about the limitations of some of the city’s older flyovers and the need for modern infrastructure.
Nitin Gadkari gets stuck in Mumbai traffic
On September 12, Gadkari was travelling from Worli to attend the 22nd Indo-American Corporate Excellence Awards in Mumbai. However, heavy traffic added around an hour to his journey.
Speaking at the event, Gadkari said, “Today I got late by an hour to reach here for this programme, because I got stuck in the traffic from Worli to this hotel. It took me one extra hour.”
He used the experience to reflect on the infrastructure projects constructed during his tenure as Maharashtra’s Public Works Minister between 1995 and 2000.
Gadkari recalls 55 flyovers, Bandra-Worli Sea Link
Gadkari said he had the opportunity to oversee the construction of 55 flyovers, the Bandra-Worli Sea Link and the Mumbai-Pune Expressway during his tenure.“But that is actually me paying for my mistake. From 1995–2000, I got a chance to construct 55 flyovers, the Bandra-Worli Sea Link and the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, but at that time this technology was not available,” he said.
His comments highlighted how Mumbai’s road infrastructure has evolved alongside the city’s rapid growth over the past three decades.
Why Mumbai’s old flyovers are facing pressure
The city’s traffic challenge is not only about the number of vehicles on the roads. It is also linked to how infrastructure designed decades ago is coping with today’s much larger traffic volumes.
Mumbai has expanded significantly since the 1990s, with daily traffic movements connecting South Mumbai, the western suburbs, Thane, Navi Mumbai and other surrounding areas.
As traffic volumes have increased, infrastructure that once helped ease congestion can itself become a bottleneck, particularly around major junctions and arterial roads.
Gadkari proposes modern multi-level flyovers
Gadkari said he had advised Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to consider replacing existing flyovers with structures based on modern construction technologies.
He also said India had recently acquired technology from Malaysia that could enable several levels of flyovers to be constructed over a single set of pillars.
The proposed approach could allow more road capacity to be created within limited urban space, rather than relying only on conventional flyovers.
Rs 50,000 crore infrastructure plan for Pune
Gadkari also said he had proposed an infrastructure programme worth Rs 50,000 crore in Pune.
The broader focus, according to his remarks, is on using newer technologies and infrastructure models to address growing urban mobility challenges.
For densely populated cities such as Mumbai, where road space is limited and traffic demand continues to rise, the challenge is not simply building more roads but making better use of existing urban space.
Inputs from TOI